Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Belarusians want to work and live peacefully

MINSK, 22 February (BelTA) - Belarusians want to work and live peacefully, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting to mark the upcoming Day of Fatherland Defenders and the Armed Forces of Belarus on 22 February, BelTA has learned.

“We, the Belarusians, want to work and live peacefully. We restored our country from the ashes of the Great Patriotic War, overcame the post-war devastation and the crisis of the 1990s, and built a beautiful and peaceful country not to throw it into the heat of another war, in which everyone will lose. This is not what we want,” said the Belarusian leader.

In his words, Belarus has never threatened anyone and will never become a source of threat to other nations. “However, our right to follow traditions and the political course chosen by the people is inviolable. We have defended it and will continue to do so, including with weapons in hand. Today, the concept ‘military security’ also includes the protection of historical truth, historical memory and patriotism,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed the importance to remember and honor the history and ancestors: “Remember: the way we treat them, who are not with us anymore, the way our children will treat us when we are gone.”

"We have defended our memory and we will continue doing so. In the context of a sharp escalation of tensions in the world, Belarusians should remember that we are the heirs of the victorious people. We must make every effort to preserve the Belarusian statehood. For the first time in history, we have built a sovereign and independent state. We must preserve this state with our heroic history. We owe it to those who gave their lives for this highest achievement. We should preserve the state for our children. They will live in this state. I really wouldn't want our country to be divided again, reshaped, and subjugated. I would very much not want such future for our children,” the president said. “Everything depends on us. Always in the history of any state there are periods when the people must prove the right to be sovereign and independent. Perhaps we are living such a period and such a time."

Aleksandr Lukashenko wished that the symbolism of the national holiday - the Day of the Fatherland Defenders and the Armed Forces of Belarus - would be a source of confidence and would inspire for new achievements in the name of the native country.

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