We build future on experience of past

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko held a major meeting with members of the expert community engaged in ideological work on September 17th to mark National Unity Day. Participating in the event were officials from state bodies, leaders of political parties, public associations, major media outlets, journalists, political analysts and historians.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Belarusian leader noted that National Unity Day is a tribute to our historical memory.

“We remember the fateful event. Eighty-six years ago, the iron wall that divided our people into western and eastern Belarusians collapsed. The thesis sounds pompous, but it is not without reason. That is why the Red Army’s campaign was called a liberation campaign. The Red Army soldiers came to assist Belarusians, who were fighting selflessly for their national dignity. Our heroes — all those who were at the forefront of this struggle. 

When we talk about historical memory, we are placing the emphasis. Not long ago, we reintroduced September 17th to the list of public holidays. Whether the meaning and national significance of this date has been fully understood is a question we will answer today. On this holiday, we do not just talk about the historical reunification and unity of the nation. We draw conclusions and build the future on the experience of the past,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised the need to talk more about the lives of people in Western Belarus and how the Polish authorities treated them.

“Regardless of what happens today, we do not view it as a mistake that for many years we have sought to live peacefully with our neighbours without confronting them with unpleasant historical facts. While we aimed for friendship, they treated us as subhuman and outright enemies both in culture, science and the media. As a result, [they] have worked out the policy that we face today,” the Head of State asserted.

“Our people should know that while ethnic Poland was thriving, Belarusians faced heavy exploitation, with their resources taken away and peasants, toiling for pitiful earnings, living in poverty and constantly under the threat of a whip. This whip was applied to all those who tried to defend their faith, language and cultural identity. We must say that people of Western Belarus were systematically denied the right to receive education in their native language, Orthodox churches were closed, and national elites along with clergy faced persecution. Furthermore, it is crucial to remember that Polish prisons were filled with Belarusian patriots, and that the nation was subjected to both spiritual and physical destruction in the most brutal way,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out.
According to the President, it is particularly significant to highlight the heroic resistance demonstrated by Western Belarusians, their unity in the struggle, and their efforts to reunify with the eastern region. “This serves as a significant historical example of national unity. Meanwhile, the pertinent issue lies in the extent to which these facts are effectively voiced, starting with their inclusion in school textbooks and ending with their presentation in museum exhibitions and guided tours of memorable places,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
The Belarusian leader underscored the significance of textbooks, asserting that instilling key concepts in children from an early school age constitutes a measure of success. “Once these ideas are firmly established, it becomes challenging to persuade these children to adopt opposing viewpoints,” the Head of State added.
The Belarusian leader stressed that the emphases of all periods of Belarusian history must be analysed: which dates and events are important, who were the heroes and who were the enemies, 

“We understand that Belarus is still quite young after passing a third of a century of its sovereign history. The history of the sovereign state is only beginning. We are walking on a tightrope — those who dream of cutting that tightrope will endlessly speculate on historical dates that are important to us, posting fakes about some pacts, conspiracies and other nonsense easily refuted by historical documents.”

In this regard, the President referred to the historic Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, signed in August 1939 between the USSR and Germany. Aleksandr Lukashenko advocates for a thorough and comprehensive analysis of any historical event, including this particular agreement. “We need to analyse more thoroughly why this happened. On the surface, it appears that the Soviet Union bears some responsibility — that something was divided, split, and so forth. But if we look deeper? This is not even the task of historians; it is the task of experienced politicians who can assess those events through the lens of their political life and career. Poland was divided, but why did Poland allow this to happen? The idea of ‘od morza do morza’ [meaning ‘Poland from one sea to the other’] did not just come about suddenly; preparations had been underway for quite some time. You know the kind of policies the Poles pursued, how they tried to ‘please’ Hitler. Therefore, everything must be considered from this perspective. The Poles should be encouraged to contemplate this and urged to deeply analyse the reasons behind their alleged division,” the Head of State pointed out.
According to the President, at this point, we must understand that historians analyse documents and facts and construct chronologies of events, “Our ideological task is to transform this data into narratives, arguments and counterarguments, and to work with them in the information space. Here, scientists, teachers, journalists and experts must act in line with a unified strategy for shaping historical memory.”
When questioned about when relations with neighbouring Poland and the Baltic States might get better, the President responded, “I have always made every effort to maintain good relations. That has always been my intention. I am not to blame. I am always ready for that.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko specifically referred to Poland’s response to the Belarusian–Russian Zapad-2025 exercise, and taking into account Polish concerns, it was decided to relocate the manoeuvres further inland, “I personally decided to move the drills away from the border to avoid provoking them.”
However, the President noted that the Polish side had found an excuse to close the border, saying, “They have been searching for a provocation for a long time, but it has not worked. We [are introducing] visa-free travel, encouraging everyone to visit our country, yet they are constructing a wall on the border and are also closing it,” the Belarusian leader emphasised. “They need something. My primary goal is to prevent [any escalation]. There should be no reason for it.”
Society requires examples of people who lived and worked with heroism, Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined.
The Head of State noted that the pantheon of national heroes is a highly sensitive topic, “It is also important to recognise who the hero is, who the enemy is, who has contributed to global culture, science and history while maintaining a connection to their homeland, and who has done the same but abandoned their identity. No one should be erased from our history. However, emphasis should be placed clearly and preferably without ambiguity. Additionally, we must clearly explain the official position and reflect it in information sources. The sole criterion is loyalty to the interests of one’s own native land and people. Once again, are such distinctions emphasised in school and university curricula?”
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised that every historical figure serves as a teacher for our children, “Everything is clear with the heroes of the Great Patriotic War: they gave their lives heroically for their country. However, we also experienced significant eras of peace. We need examples of people who lived and worked with heroism during those peaceful times.”
A question to the Belarusian leader concerned the pardoning of convicts. Journalist Grigory Azarenok mentioned attempts by Poland and Lithuania to ‘claim credit for’ with Belarus in the decisions on pardons — allegedly, the countries facilitated this by ‘pressuring’ the Belarusian authorities. The President of Belarus was asked whether there really was a Polish or Lithuanian imprint in his actions. Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that he is aware of Poland and Lithuania’s desire to show their involvement in the release of the convicts. Belarus sees their attempts to wriggle into favour with those in the country, especially with convicts’ relatives and loved ones, “They would like to participate in this. They offered me all sorts of things. I had to publicly declare that I would not sit down at the table with them the way I am sitting here with you. What is there to talk about? Yet they wanted it. They wanted to appear as if they were part of the process (involved only in the release, not in taking decision to release). They have had nothing and will have nothing to do with it whatsoever.”
“We know what makes each of them tick. The majority of the inmates there have realised what it was worth and judge those who escaped: ‘So they ran, they abandoned us’,” the Belarusian leader noted. “Don’t you worry, Grigory, we do not do this just like that. We think long and hard, we see what, where and how, and have an eye on the future,” 
Aleksandr Lukashenko assured, emphasising that opponents have already begun preparing for 2030, when the next Presidential elections in Belarus are due to take place. Therefore, in order to pass this phase smoothly and prevent destabilisation in the country, everyone needs to work responsibly in their own field, thereby contributing to the overall strengthening of the state’s economy.
According to the President, the situation in Belarus will remain stable if everyone works a little bit better, because the economy is the foundation. “We have a harvest like this year for another couple of years, [and this will have a positive impact on the economic situation as well],” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
Olga Chemodanova, Chairperson of the Belaya Rus political party, voiced a viewpoint that today, powerful figures do not fancy sovereign Belarus with its peace-loving policy and socially oriented state. “We understand that we are facing an intense political struggle for people’s minds. And the most immediate prospect is the election campaigns in 2029 and 2030,” Olga Chemodanova noted as she asked Aleksandr Lukashenko for his opinion on what risks there are and what challenges the country should prepare for. “I will not even dwell on this topic — the economy. First and foremost, the economy,” the Belarusian leader stated.
The President of Belarus noted the decisions to attract foreigners to close a certain gap in Belarus’ labour market. The President of Belarus also recalled the potato shortage situation in the spring of this year, when part of the harvest was shipped abroad to be sold at a more favourable price, while some organisations kept part of it in warehouses. As a result, the emerged problem was partly artificial, “We went through warehouses — it turns out there were potatoes. Perhaps, they wanted to sell it [later], maybe they were holding it back. We were also checking the prices there. We cracked it down — and later that potatoes appeared.”
Thus, this year Belarus increased the sown area and had a good harvest which now needs to be preserved in line with all the necessary procedures.

“We have got through it. But this should not happen here. Therefore, the economy must work. Give me the economy, and call for everything else. I will not stand aside either,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised.

The President of Belarus also highlighted the situation in the industry concerning production and export of products — the indicators have declined, “I have personally instructed the Prime Minister. We need to scramble out of it. We went to Africa, here and there — they want to buy our equipment.”
The Belarusian leader stated that, given their colonial past, many African countries prefer to co-operate with small but technologically advanced countries such as Belarus rather than with large states. Thus, Belarus and Zimbabwe have a great amount of joint work ahead of them to strengthen food security in Zimbabwe, as recently discussed by Aleksandr Lukashenko and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa. “We need to get moving, we need to go to them. The President went, opened the door — follow him. We need to trade. We need to straighten out the industry, and the domestic market of course. Our light industry has started to decline here. We will meet in the near future,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.
A question to the Belarusian leader concerned a national idea. Vadim Gigin, Chairman of Belarus’ Znanie Society, noted that there are two opinions on a national idea in the expert community: some believe that it needs to be elaborated and approved, for example, by a presidential decree. However, in this case, there is a risk of sliding into dogmatism. Others, including Vadim Gigin himself, are convinced that the main task now is to focus on practical matters in ideological work, rather than theorising and artificially searching for a national idea, a bluebird of happiness. “No one is pushing anyone with a national idea. Because for me, this is the question of questions in ideology. I have repeatedly said this. No one is signing any decree, and we are not adopting [this idea] through legislation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised.
The President of Belarus noted that he had previously been offered options for what could have become the national idea, but he rejected them, understanding intuitively that those would not be supported or grasped by the people. The Belarusian leader believes that in bringing a national idea to life much, if not everything, should depend on the expert community, historians and scientists. The idea must originate in their minds, mature and reach the level of public discussion.

“Discussing is the main point. I will never sign any idea, make it national or push it through if it does not capture you and your minds and hearts. I will never sign any idea, make it national or push it through if it does not capture and grasp you and your minds and souls,” the President of Belarus assured.

STRENGTHENING TIES OF TIME AND OUR UNITY 

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko presented state awards to outstanding representatives of various fields. The ceremony took place at the Palace of Independence ahead of National Unity Day.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the continuity of generations is symbolised when in a festive atmosphere well‑deserved state awards are presented to industrial workers, builders, agricultural workers, military personnel, law enforcement officers, cultural figures, and athletes — all those who contribute to building life in the country every day. In this way, the connection between eras and the unity of the people are strengthened.
Among the awardees, the President gave special recognition to agricultural workers, who are completing the agricultural season with very significant results. High state awards and honorary titles were also bestowed upon scientists, teachers, lawyers and artists. 

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by

Photos by BELTA