The most important lesson

On September 1st, the Knowledge Day, the President of Belarus met with schoolchildren and students. The Head of State  decided to hold the Historical Memory — the Road to the Future open lesson at the Palace of Independence. About three hundred young people were invited there. Five leading regional universities took part in video communication with the Palace of Independence, and live broadcast was conducted to all educational institutions.  Aleksandr Lukashenko conducted the lesson as an experienced teacher: he got acquainted with the audience, asked sharp questions, entered into a dialogue, and made an exciting speech. The President touched on a wide range of hot and sensitive topics. 

The number one computer

Aleksandr Lukashenko showed the children a computer and explained what makes it unique, “I specifically asked them to bring the computer to our meeting. This is the first computer made by our smart people. They were tasked with looking around the world, exploring the best things what we have not yet been able to make (processors, software) and create the computer. To be honest, today it is about 12 percent Belarusian. By the end of the year it will be 30 percent. But still the fact itself is important.”
The computer has been made at the Belarusian plant Horizont. The President expressed confidence that it will be the most advanced computer, world-class.

Dialogue of generations

Aleksandr Lukashenko told why he agreed to hold an unusual event on September 1st. 
“You know that I always find time to meet with teachers and students on Knowledge Day. But for the first time today I did not go anywhere. Not long ago, at a meeting with the pioneers here, you voiced, in my view, a very interesting proposal to hold the first open lesson of the new academic year. I accepted that offer,” added the Head of State. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, 
“Dialogue between generations is always interesting. It goes on all life and every day. Today, given the format of the meeting, we can say that it will be heard throughout the country. I understand that you are very different, that you all have your own opinions, and that your civic outlook is shaped. Believe me, it is not yet complete. Life will correct many of your views and will make you revisit certain events more than once.”

The participants of the meeting were able to ask the President their numerous questions

‘Where are our roots?’

Aleksandr Lukashenko explained that he was asking this question for a reason. On this topic, the Head of State said, he was prompted by the recent statements of the German Chancellor about an alleged conversation with the Russian President about Belarusian sovereignty.
Speaking about the history of the Belarusian statehood, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that it is necessary to approach the assessment of certain pages of history and figures of different years as objectively as possible. 
“As we open the Constitution, we have to understand that our roots are very ancient. Nobody can criticise us from this angle that we are from nowhere, that we do not have these roots, that we do not have the right to our state, to our sovereignty and independence. 
Our ancestors established the Principality of Polotsk as early as the tenth century. This sacred land is the cradle of Belarusian statehood. Polotsk was one of the three key centres of Ancient Rus alongside Novgorod and Kiev. Other principalities were established later on. A local dynasty ruled the Principality of Polotsk for a long period of time while other lands were ruled by Kiev appointees. In other words, the source of our statehood was already independent,” highlighted Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The President noted that the Principality of Turov was another ancient state in the Belarusian lands. Indeed, politically it was more connected with Kievan Rus, but it had a special status, “It was ruled by the future heirs of the Kiev throne. Principality of Turov was a spiritual, cultural, and enlightenment centre in southern Belarus.” 

On the assessment of the Soviet period

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that he became a ‘totalitarian dictator’ when he refused to carry out policies following the dictation of the West, “The middle of the 90s after the collapse of the Soviet Union — that was a time when they came to us in droves, they gave us money. Soros was the first to arrive, he brought money for historical truth, for textbooks, and so on. I honestly and sincerely told him: ‘Mr. Soros, don’t come to us anymore, I won’t pursue this policy.’ And then I became a totalitarian dictator, then I became hated. As well as our country. Just because we wanted to write our own textbooks. For the fact that we ourselves wanted to build our lives, to be sovereign and independent.”
He suggested looking at the modern Baltic states, Ukraine, where plants and factories are abandoned, unique skill sets and experiences are forever lost, “Moreover, they were on a par with Belarus in their development level, and in some directions they were even superior. Especially Ukraine. Why did this happen? Because they have become a market for the products of Western industries and a cheap labour force for their corporations.”

About the three fraternal peoples who were pushed against each other

Aleksandr Lukashenko continued the open lesson by talking about the current events around Ukraine and the region in general, “What do we have now? We live, but we do not know what will happen. War is at our doorstep. As it has already happened in our history, the so-called Western partners have pushed the three fraternal peoples — Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians — against each other. This however does not make us look good. Are we brainless or have we been like that before? Why have we allowed anyone to make us confronted? And again on the horizon we see the same Polish elites. Taking advantage of the situation, they are recreating a new Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. They have already legally formalised their special privileges in Ukraine.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled his previous statement that Ukrainians will soon have to stop the massacre with Russia and ask for help in protecting themselves from Polonisation, “Along this way, the Polish government profits from refugees and increases its weight in Europe. Ukraine, on the other hand, is falling into an abyss. The Ukrainian people are being robbed.” 

Concerning the world terrorist

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, this is why as it tries to hold onto control, the USA is ceasing to be a world policeman and is becoming a world terrorist, “They destroy everything. It is a vivid sign of a crisis and weakness. We see it in today’s hysterics: about Afghanistan, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the rest. It is not politics but pillaging and all over the world at that.”
The Head of State noted that even the most dedicated satellites, which stand ready to fulfil any wish of the master, suffer, “Western Europe is led to believe it is a big-time political entity but this subjectivity results in soaring prices for energy resources and record-high inflation. Essentially, Europe is about to experience the greatest food crisis on record. God exists. He punished them with this cruel drought, and now terrible storms and floods.”

What’s next for Ukraine?

“I know that many of you are wondering about what happens next. What will happen to Ukraine? Nobody knows. But we fear it may result in the most dreadful clash. Using the most dreadful weapons god forbid,” said the Head of State.
At the same time, he stressed that Russia cannot lose, “Russia cannot suffer a defeat over there. Many Belarusians and I support Russia in this regard… If the special preventive operation had not begun back then, Belarus would have suffered a missile strike.”
According to him, 30 minutes before the Russian President declared the special military operation, Russians suppressed these sites, “They saw these sites prepared for an attack against Belarus in advance. It was along the entire perimeter of the border with the Russian Federation. They were getting ready for it. Ukrainians were not getting ready. The West and the USA were.”

Concerning current trends

Aleksandr Lukashenko is sure that sooner or later the world will become multipolar, “The only question is how we will get there. We wouldn’t want to through a hot war. Wars will now be of a hybrid nature. These are trends, to put it mildly, that do not bode well for the world.”
The first — unprecedented sanctions as an instrument of big politics and economics.
The second — polarisation of society, radicalisation and conflict of the entire global agenda. “The world is in a fever from upheavals — starting from the USA and ending with Sri Lanka, Iraq. Over the past decade, the number of protests has increased. That is, countries are starting to collapse from within,” stated the Belarusian leader.
The third — a series of pandemics and natural disasters. The last example is a catastrophic drought in Europe amid an energy crisis and burning forests.
The fourth — demographic challenges: migration and population aging.
The fifth — global militarisation, growing nuclear threat, escalation of tension. “This is a very bad scenario in the future,” emphasised the President.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
Photos by BELTA