MP on National Unity Day establishment: President made truly historic decision

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, made a truly historic decision when he declared September 17th National Unity Day – as stated by a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Oleg Gaidukevich, in his talk with SB TV

The programme host, Polina Konoga, recalled, “Belarus is celebrating National Unity Day for the third time this year. The holiday was approved by a presidential decree in 2021, and its history was not simple. Part of Belarus was Polish territory, the so-called Kresy Wschodnie for 18 years. We know that it was not easy for Belarusians to live there: their language was suppressed, and there were outbreaks of various diseases... At present, when talking about this, we celebrate the return of part of our country to Belarus. Not everyone understands the importance of this holiday, especially our neighbours who are quite sensitive about this issue. This is their historical pain and historical loss. What is our country approaching this day with?”

“We should not care of how the neighbours treat our holiday there. For many years, we tried to flirt with them, not to offend them with something. We understood perfectly well that it was a historic date, but we did not make it a holiday precisely because our neighbours might think something wrong. The President made a truly historic decision. He heard the people, realised that it had to be done. Look, we celebrate this date on a wider scale from year to year, we take it more seriously," Mr. Gaidukevich noted.

The MP emphasised that a great job is being done annually to prepare for the holiday – ‘in schools, institutes, on dialogue platforms, at meetings with our citizens’, “It is really becoming a truly national holiday. The date is historical. The President often said that we gained our independence through blood and suffering, and this refers no only to the Great Patriotic War which brought us true independence: we are talking about those events as well. That was a tragedy, which our people experienced, many millions died over the years: before the revolution and after it, during the Polish occupation on our lands... Where did the first concentration camps open? The first concentration camps were launched not in Hitler times: there were Polish concentration camps on the territory of Belarus.”

Mr. Gaidukevich also explained why the date of September 17th, 1939 is sacred for Belarusians, “On that day we gained Belarus, the country we live in. We do not need foreign territories. They are all time frightening that Belarus will attack someone – but we do not need anything. We have gained our land and independence through sufferings. We want to preserve this, make much of our life in this territory and live peacefully with our neighbours.”