Opinions & Interviews

Russian governor: Samara Oblast, Belarus are linked by thousands of human contacts

MINSK, 27 June (BelTA) – Samara Oblast and Belarus are bonded by hundreds of thousands of human contacts and this is the most valuable thing in the relations, Samara Oblast Governor Dmitry Azarov said as he met with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.

First of all, the Russian governor thanked the Belarusian head of state for the opportunity to meet: “It is a great honor for us and, of course, we have a huge responsibility to implement the tasks set by President Putin and you, Mr Lukashenko, to expand cooperation between our states and fraternal peoples.”

“We are connected by a glorious common history, strong, reliable friendship in the present and, I am sure, by a bright future. The unity and concord of the Russian and Belarusian peoples have helped us more than once to cope with difficulties. I am sure that this will help us now. We fought together for the truth, independence, for the victory over the evil. We raise our youth by examples. We have a huge number of economic and humanitarian contacts. But, perhaps, the most valuable thing is that our region and Belarus are bonded by hundreds of thousands of destinies,” the governor said.

To illustrate his point Dmitry Azarov recalled Nikolai Kolychev who was among the first to enter Minsk after it was liberated from the Nazis, he was buried in Samara Oblast. The delegation is going to donate to the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War History copies of archival documents on awarding him the Hero of the Soviet Union title for the liberation of Minsk, the honorary citizen of Minsk title, as well as his military ID. Another example is Lydia Selitskaya, the granddaughter of the first Hero of the Soviet Union from Belarus Nikolai Selitsky. She works in the House of Officers of Samara.

Even some members of the Samara Oblast delegation have close ties with Belarus. One of them is Alexander Fetisov, Deputy Chairman of the Samara Oblast Government. He is a graduate of the Minsk Higher Military-Political Combined Arms School.

All in all, Samara Oblast is home to 157 ethnicities, including about 10,000 Belarusians. In 2021 the Friendship Park was laid in Samara with 20 ethnic farmsteads, including the Belarusian one.

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