The unity of the Belarusian people equals the independence of the state. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement in his address to the youth forum Youth. Belarus. Future dedicated to People's Unity Day, BelTA has learned.
The head of state noted that when the Treaty of Riga was signed and a decision was made to divide Belarus in 1921, Belarus’ opinion was not taken into account.
“They decided it without us. I believe this was a grave mistake by the Soviet government,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. “The fact remains: in 1921, they decided our fate without us, and part of Belarus, almost half of it (the most developed and advanced part, if we take into account the land, forests and other things that we consider our main wealth), ended up there [as part of Poland].
In this context, the president emphasized unity as a crucial element in preserving sovereignty and independence.
“The unity of the Belarusian people equals the independence of our state. It is an element and an indicator of our independence. Unity is our independence,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
He noted that Belarus’ geopolitical position – at a fault line and at the intersection of interests from the west and east – has both advantages and serious disadvantages. Only a truly independent people capable of making the right decisions independently can take advantage of these opportunities.
The Day of People’s Unity serves precisely this purpose. That is why the head of state attaches great importance to it and expects young people, who are the country’s future, to do the same.
“You will tell your children and grandchildren about this holiday; you will celebrate it and honor it if you want to be independent. If you want your word to be heeded in the future," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“You have probably often heard that Belarus is located on an important axis in Eurasia. Both geographically and geopolitically,” the head of state said.
According to him, it is generally considered that this is a great advantage for the Belarusian people. “Probably so. If you have a head on your shoulders and dispose of it wisely, it will probably be a great advantage. But what does history teach us? It teaches us the main philosophical conclusion: there must never be a one-sided understanding of a process. If there is something positive, there is necessarily something negative on the other side. Looking back at history, because of this advantageous position we have lost a great many Belarusians and inhabitants of this patch of land,” the president said.
“As long as I am in power, there is one formula: we don’t want what belongs to others but we won’t give up ours,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
The head of state said he was sincerely glad to see the forum’s participants and guests: young, vibrant, and full of energy. “You are the main participants in our event and in the celebration. And it is with you that I would like to talk about a date that is of paramount importance in our history,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“We are celebrating Day of People’s Unity. The day of the reunification of the Belarusian people, the day when millions of Belarusians returned to their family, to their motherland. It was truly a landmark event. 17 September is a special holiday. First and foremost, it is special for you - young people who are active and engaged in the life of the country. And it is an opportunity to talk about the future, which is built on the lessons and experience of the past. To talk about your future,” he said. “There are no accidental people here. Most likely [here], these are people with certain ambitions, certain goals, who have already shown what they can do in this life.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that for 18 years, from 1921 to 1939, the harshest practice of ethnocide was carried out on the territory of Western Belarus. “Enough time to force people to forget their language, traditions and history. The main task was to break people spiritually, to erase them as individuals, to turn them into voiceless slaves who could not even think about unity and equality. During that time, there, in the so-called Polish prison of nations, a new generation grew up. But no one forgot, no one renounced or broke away from their roots,” he said.
“We have a country of opportunities. Quiet, calm. Without war, thank god. You will have to preserve all of it in the future. Without making it worse. You will have to carry the heaviest burden on your shoulders. Trust me: it cannot be any heavier. You will have to bear the responsibility for this unity, for the Belarusian nation, for the land where we live a calm life today,” the head of state said.
“Today a battle is under way, global reshaping is happening before our eyes. And in this situation we must stand firm, relying on our allies. But they want to drive us under the whip. I am not exaggerating. I have no need to. I am simply warning you, as the future leaders of the country, who will have to ensure its sovereignty and independence,” the Belarusian leader said.
“On this symbolically important day for us, I want you, first and foremost our young people, to remember not only the chronology of the events of 17 September 1939, but also other events. Why do we create traditions based on the landmark episodes of our history? To be ourselves. Not to lose our identity. So as not to go astray from the path charted by our predecessors, including those who held this red banner in their hands [it is displayed on the stage]. A banner preserved by underground resistance members in Grodno and Bialystok,” the head of state said.
The red banner dates back to the late 1930s and early 1940s and is believed to have been used during the liberation campaign of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and local people’s assemblies held in the Bialystok region and what is now Grodno Oblast in September 1939. The banner was found and saved during the Great Patriotic War by underground resistance members in Bialystok and Grodno.
"It became a symbol of the reunification of Belarusians and survived the Great Patriotic War. And, so that you understand, it was not preserved in a museum. It was kept in an ordinary family and passed down from generation to generation. And this is the whole truth about our history. The history of a people that knows the value of unity,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
“These people are driven by phantom pain, by the gene of hatred while we are moved by the energy of creation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “Our land has been reborn from the ashes more than once. We have not been broken either by bloody campaigns against eastern Slavs or by World War One and the Great Patriotic War [of 1941-1945]”.
The president assured that Belarusians do not want what does not belong to them, including lands, riches, and ideas. “We have a beautiful country, a hardworking people, rich traditions in culture and politics. We don’t force our life philosophy upon anyone but an imported philosophy won’t take root here,” he stressed.
“They want to enslave [the Belarusian nation]. Approximately the way our so-called government and offices in exile operate. Over the past 100 years, particularly in the past 30 years a lot of these offices in exile staffed by fugitives emerged,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. “Princes, barons and other rulers on various continents, who still fail to understand that our land has only one master: the people of Belarus. I promise you that it will continue to be that way.”
“It was the people who brought me to power despite everything that was happening. And don’t you ever trust claims that Lukashenko is hanging on to power with all his might. May Lord have mercy on those, who say that. I am already as fed up with this power as possible.” There is only one question: are you capable of taking the country today and keeping it? If you are, do it tomorrow. Honestly speaking, I cannot give a positive answer to this question for now,” the head of state added.