Belarus’ FM: neo-fascism revival, especially in Europe, is fashionable trend already
Belarus does not threaten anyone: the country’s policy is based on peace and stability – as stated by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, speaking at the People’s Feat to Live for Centuries international scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory of the Soviet people over the Nazi invaders
According to the FM, today’s conference is an important information occasion for continuing work to preserve the memory of the largest and most devastating war in human history. “It is a reminder of our determination to prevent the recurrence of those horrors in the future. Eighty years ago, the United Nations organisation was created by its participating countries, and I am especially proud to note that Belarus was among them. Despite the lack of sovereignty at that time, the republic became one of the founding states thanks to its contribution to the Great Victory and signed the UN Charter. We then managed to unite our efforts and build an architecture of international law, achieve a common understanding and interpretation of the main global challenges and threats. All this was based on a consensus of opinions about WWII, its causes, consequences and the role of each participant,” Mr. Ryzhenkov stated.
Unfortunately, over time, the states disagreeing with the WWII results emerged, and the Foreign Minister explained, “Those were primarily the ones who were on the side of Nazi Germany, including Berlin. At present, they are trying to rewrite history, promote a new look onto the international processes that took place on the eve of the war. Their goal is obvious: to justify aggression, whitewash traitors and accomplices, and erase crimes against civilians from memory.”
Mr. Ryzhenkov believes: what seemed like alarming forecasts until recently has become a reality today. “The executioners’ descendants are named heroes and monuments are erected to them, while the liberators are getting forgotten. Moreover, this is happening not somewhere far away, but in the territories neighbouring to Belarus,” he said, adding that the world has lost the common unity that once allowed the destruction of the Berlin Wall and opened the way to constructive co-operation between the East and the West. “This co-operation has been protecting us from new bloody conflicts for several decades, but the revival of neo-fascism has become a fashionable trend, especially in Europe, these days.”
Far-right marches are encouraged, collaborators and traitors are revered, and monuments are erected to the former executioners under the guise of ‘freedom of opinion’ in the West today. With this in view, Belarus’ Foreign Minister wondered how all this can be explained to the veterans who liberated Europe and lost hundreds of thousands of comrades at the front for the sake of freedom of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Baltic States, and others. “Soldier-liberators are being replaced there by so-called new freedom fighters who have their own pseudo-heroes,” he stressed.
Moreover, as noted by the FM, the absurdity is such that the descendants of the liberators are forbidden to come to the monuments and graves of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, “Visiting memorials has become almost impossible: visas are not issued, borders are closed, and any participation in commemorative events can be interpreted as a manifestation of xenophobia. Where are the human rights in this case? Where is the freedom of movement that Europe is talking about? At the same time, it is actively rearming itself.”
Defence spending reaches 20-30 percent of the national budget in some countries, and this money is withdrawn from the social, educational and medical spheres. As noted by Mr. Ryzhenkov, everyone understands: weapons are produced not to stay idle.
“Belarus is a peace-loving state, and it did not threaten anyone. Our policy, pursued by President Aleksandr Lukashenko, is based on peace and stability. Firstly, we aim to act in the interests of our state and build a sustainable future. Secondly, we intend to preserve the historical truth, and this is a sacred duty to our descendants: the truth cannot be destroyed by fences, sanctions, or trade wars. Thirdly, we strive to maintain peace at all costs, since – eighty years after that war – we are once again standing on the edge. Fourthly, we aim to step up collective efforts in the international arena to combat neo-Nazism and punish Nazi criminals,” Belarus’ Foreign Minister stated.
