Lukashenko honors outstanding Belarusians with state awards

MINSK, 7 May (BelTA) - Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko presented state awards to Belarusians who distinguished themselves in various fields of expertise, BelTA has learned.

The ceremony was held in the Palace of Independence on 7 May. The head of state emphasized that the ceremony took place ahead of Victory Day, the most important holiday for Belarusians.

According to him, these days the ceremony honoring the best workers of the country is filled with special meaning, because the frontline feat of Soviet soldiers would have been impossible without the huge work performed in the rear and especially after the war. 

“We must always remember this and pass on these memories to the next generations. After all, who were those people whom we call home-front workers today? These were mainly women, the elderly and teenagers. It was them who performed all hard work in the fields and factories,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

He stressed that people of the war generation evacuated thousands of factories to the east of the country and set up production of shells, tanks, and aircraft in a short time. “They literally lived in the workshops. They worked really hard to ensure that our army was armed, fed, and clothed,” the president said. 

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that after the war the Western press predicted that the Soviet Union would take at least a quarter of a century to recover fully. "But our ancestors built cities and villages more beautiful than they were before in just two five-year periods.  They also built factories and factories, that you now represent and that Belarus is proud of: BelAZ, MTZ, Minsk Motor Plant, Gomselmash. In our time we modernized them, upgraded their equipment and applied new technologies, but the foundations and traditions were laid by our fathers and grandfathers. They have established the scientific traditions that other countries cannot repeat today," the Belarusian leader noted.

"In the run-up to Victory Day I will say again: Honor and praise to all war and labor veterans! We bow low before frontline and labor feats," the head of state said.

There are some analogies between the events of wartime and the challenges that Belarus is facing now, the president believes. However, then the enemy was obvious, visible, and now the situation is more complicated, because Belarus has to resist the hidden forces. “Today we do not see them, they are deeply hidden and act using Jesuit methods, which we sometimes do not know. We have to learn as we go,” the president said. “Amid the global pandemic, they tried to insert another virus in our society, namely the virus of self-destruction. However, the majority of Belarusians understand that they are descendants of the heroic generation. No one will ever deny us the right to live and work in our country freely,” the president said.

The head of state thanked heads of labor collectives for quickly figuring out the plans of the destructive forces on Belarus. “We have drawn conclusions. The government has always relied and will continue relying on working people: factory workers, farmers, engineers, and managers, everyone who is engaged in the real sector of the economy,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

The president reiterated that the Belarusian statehood, the country’s successful development, and the nations’ prosperity depend on incessant creative labor for the benefit of the society. “Only hard work can ensure our independence and sovereignty. We sometimes talk about these concepts without realizing their essence and value.,” the president said. “Every Belarusian who wants to achieve professional success should understand this fundamental truth, just like you do. You are people who have built and created their whole life.”

“Today, state awards are presented to industrialists, builders, transport workers, rural workers, engineers, teachers, and figures of culture. State awards are also bestowed upon a big group of valorous officers of the State Security Committee, who do everything necessary so that our citizens could live, work and raise their children under a peaceful sky,” the president continued. 

According to him, law enforcers have recently been able to prove that they are worth their salt. “Yes, it has been calm in the country for a quarter of a century. Then they decided to test us. And our people in uniform went ahead, which is natural. I must say they showed that they could meet the challenge,” the head of state said.

“I think there is no need to explain today for what services we honor them, our law enforcers, military people. Thanks to our mass media outlets, these events are on everyone's lips. I am sincerely glad that I have the opportunity to personally thank all of you for your significant contribution to the development of Belarus,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.

The head of state congratulated the participants of the ceremony on their deserved awards and wished them strong health, peace, kindness and new achievements for the benefit of the Fatherland. “Let the solemn atmosphere that reigns in this hall today inspire you to new achievements, and your successes will be an example for others, first of all for energetic, creative and ambitious young people,” the Belarusian leader said.

The Order of Labor Glory has been awarded to Vasily Markevich, Director General of the Druzhba Poultry Farm, Sergei Lutov, adjuster of machines and manipulators at BelAZ, and also workers of Minsk Tractor Plant: operator of program-controlled machines Pyotr Babok, painter Tatyana Zhibul, and head of the tractor assembly unit Leonid Samusevich. 

The Order of Honor has been bestowed upon a group of workers of the agricultural and industrial sector. The head of state presented this award to Pyotr Lavnikov, director of Oktyabr Company in Mstislavl District, Vladimir Malinovsky, head of the Diana farm, Shklov District, Ivan Rynyak, director of the municipal agricultural enterprise Niva-Barsuki, Kirovsk District, and Andrei Stasilevich, general designer of the MTZ scientific and technical center. 

The president also presented honorary title diplomas. Among those who received the diplomas were Naum Galperovich, Honored Figure of Culture, Deputy Director, Head of the Department of Music and Literary and Artistic Programs of the Directorate of the Culture Radio Channel of the Belarusian National State Radio and Television Company, Frantishek Vismont, Honored Scientist, Head of the Department of Pathological Physiology of the Belarusian State Medical University, Vladimir Deshko, Honored Builder, Grodno Oblast Vice Governor, Gennady Kuchko, Honored Worker of Agriculture, Director of Narochanskie Zory Company, Vitaly Vovk, Director General of MTZ, Aleksandr Voitenkov, Director of the Display design bureau.