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Opinions & Interviews

21 Aug 2019

Belarus president pleasantly surprised by Ivye, town residents

Belarus president pleasantly surprised by Ivye, town residents

IVYE, 21 August (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko talked to residents of Ivye while on a working trip to Grodno Oblast on 21 August. He shared his impressions of the town with residents of the district capital, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I’d expected worse but I am very glad that the place is very good. But peaceful life is the most important thing. I often tell people not to seek fortunes somewhere else because they are not welcome there. In this day and age people, who leave their own land, will hardly find a place to settle. This is why you should take good care of yourselves and your kids. We will try to help you. You have places to work at. You just need to want to work. Nobody will give you anything for free. You will have to earn it with your own hands. But I don’t have to tell you that. You are hardworking people.”

The president said he had wanted to visit Ivye while on the working trip to Grodno Oblast despite whatever the oblast governor might have said in order to see how areas on the outskirts of the oblast develop. As a rule, they do not get so much attention. “Honestly speaking, I am pleasantly surprised. I thought I’d see some backwater village or some rundown town here,” the head of state admitted. “When I saw this resort of a town, I told the governor he had done really well. He couldn’t have cleaned up the place like that in anticipation of my arrival.”

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, many foreigners are surprised by Belarusian nature and describe it as paradise. “It’s the second time I’ve come across paradise this week. The first one was in Staryye Dorogi, the most forested district in the country. I had been to Staryye Dorogi a long time before that. Thought I’d drop by. I saw the place resembled a resort deep in the forest where people live a good life,” the president remarked. He added that there are enough problems in the regions but if people can live a calm life, things will turn out well. “I thank you for your steadfast nature. I can now rest assured that the governor works not only in Grodno and near the oblast capital but on the outskirts as well,” the head of state stressed.

Ivye hosted the regional harvest end festival Dazhynki in 2018. The town was considerably renovated in anticipation of the festival. It was for the sake of beautifying small populated localities that the government had decided to hold the festival in different districts, Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. “I cannot visit every place but I try to mark this festival and honor the people at the state level particularly this year. You can see this year has not been simple: it was too dry first, then there were heavy rains, making harvesting difficult. Nevertheless, peasants are working hard. We should thank them for that,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned another peculiarity of the town: it is home to a large number of Muslims. The president stated that believers of all kinds of religions live at peace in Belarus. “Don’t offend them. They and I maintain a special kind of relationship,” the head of state said. “They always cooperate with us and support us. This is why I was happy to hear the head of the district administration telling me they live absolutely peacefully here and help each other.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also recalled another peculiarity of the town: a lot of tomatoes are grown here and even “tomato battles” are organized. The president promised he would come to see the festival.

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