Lukashenko presents state awards to distinguished Belarusians
The President of Belarus today presented state awards to honoured figures in various fields during the solemn ceremony in the Palace of Independence. Orders, medals and honorary titles were awarded for many years of fruitful work, high professionalism, exemplary performance of official duties, significant personal contribution to strengthening the country’s defence capability and ensuring the rule of law, development of agriculture, transport and construction industries, outstanding creative achievements, as well as merits in healthcare, education, science, culture, arts and sports.
Addressing all those in attendance, Aleksandr Lukashenko said, “I’m happy to welcome you in this hall on the eve of the main state holiday of our nation: Independence Day. Back in 1944, the liberation of our capital, Minsk, by the Red Army was not just a historical event, as it is seen now. It is also clear evidence that the Soviet Union and the Belarusian Republic were able to remain unconquered at the cost of enormous efforts and human losses.”
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, it is probably difficult for those who were born and brought up in peacetime to understand the meaning of such simple words as ‘we have won, we will live’.
“They understood that... Therefore, every year on July 3rd we underline that independence is the greatest asset of any nation, including the Belarusian people. We will protect it and we will fight for it the way our heroic ancestors did. There’s simply no other way for us. Our strong, beautiful, independent Belarus relies on people like you – talented, hard-working, with great capacity for work. Everyone’s contribution to Belarus’ prosperity is important and weighty.”
