Address by the President of the Republic of Belarus to the States Members of the United Nations on the occasion of the seventy -fifth anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders

Address by the President of the Republic of Belarus to the States Members of the United Nations on the occasion of the seventy -fifth anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders
(Minsk, 24 June 2019)
This year Belarus celebrates the seventy-fifth anniversary of the country’s liberation from the Nazi invaders.
The Second World War is considered to be one of the most cruel in the history of mankind became the Great Patriotic War for us. It disrupted every home and every family. During the years of occupation Belarus lost one th ird of its population. Fascists constructed here over 260 death camps and other places of mass annihilation. Nevertheless, the spirit of the Belarusian nation was not defeated.
Belarus did not give up. The largest partisan and underground movement in Europe was organized here. Due to the selfless struggle of our people as well as all the peoples of the Soviet Union and the countries of the anti -Hitler coalition, the enemy was defeated.
3 July: the day of liberation of the city of Minsk became our national holiday – Independence Day.
The courage and heroism of the Belarusian people and its enormous contribution to the victory over fascism have gained worldwide recognition. Belarus became one of the founding States Members of the United Nations.
Unfortunately, nowadays, when the former allies in the fight against Nazism increasingly find themselves in a state of misunderstanding or confrontation with each other, the problem of preventing a new world war is becoming more acute.
I am convinced that we should seek a new large-scale international dialogue to strengthen peace and overcome existing contradictions in relations between States. Belarus is ready to become a platform for discussing all constructive initiatives in the sphere of international security a nd development.
For the sake of the future we ought to keep in mind the horrible lessons of the past, keep and pass on to the next generations true history of the great feat of heroes and liberators. We should teach our children to appreciate life, respec t other nations and cherish peace.
Since ancient times, when welcoming each other, people say: “May peace be upon you”. The United Nations was created to maintain and to strengthen peace.
Together we can accomplish this historic mission!

Aleksandr Lukashenko

Full text of the adress to download: http://uk.mfa.gov.by/docs/a_73_916_e-1144.pdf

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