Lukashenko: unity for us is the main condition for preserving our state, a matter of survival as a nation
Speaking today at the patriotic forum – We are Belarusians! – dedicated to National Unity Day, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, explained the landmark significance of this date
“Today, on September 17th, on the day the fateful liberation campaign of the Red Army began, we celebrate one of the most important public holidays: National Unity Day. This is unity that was forged in the selfless struggle for our national dignity,” noted the Head of State. “We are proud of the unbending will of those who did not submit to the anti-human regime, of those who went underground, fought a guerrilla war of liberation, and resisted the policy of forced assimilation.”
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, if there had not been such a large-scale nationwide resistance, there would have been no reunification of the Belarusian people in 1939 in a single state.
The Belarusian leader continued, “And there would be no modern sovereign Belarus if it were not for the conditions created for the development of our nation in the family of Soviet peoples. We know that. We remember this. Both then and today, unity for us is the main condition for the preservation and life of our state, i.e. a matter of our survival as a nation.”
The President of Belarus believes that September 17th is one of three historical dates, along with May 9th and July 3rd, that give us the opportunity to look back into the past in order to firmly hold our present in our hands and protect the future, “These dates unite us, modern Belarusians, in our desire to protect our historical memory in the name of peace in our native land. I underline once again: we are not aggressors; our people essentially cannot be aggressors. We are not threatening anyone. And we will never threaten, this is not our policy.”
