Belarus calls on all people of good will to unite in the fight against violence and terror

MINSK, 22 March (BelTA) - Belarus calls on all people of good will to unite in the fight against violence and terror, reads the statement of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in connection with the 70th anniversary of the Khatyn tragedy, BelTA learnt from the president’s press service.

“70 years is a brief moment in history. However, some people have already forgotten the lessons of World War II. Today some powers try to interfere in domestic affairs of sovereign states using political, economic and information blackmail, use military force against ordinary people. Every now and then international terrorism rears its ugly head in various corners of the planet, claiming lives of innocent people,” the head of state said.

“Having survived the ordeals of war and foreign invasion more than once, Belarus calls on all people of good will to join efforts in the fight against violence and terror, to get united in the fight for peace and the right of every nation to follow its own path and choose its own destiny,” reads the message.

“We will never forget the names of those who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland. Today, on the day of sorrow and grief, we swear to safeguard our independence, maintain stability, wellbeing and peace on the Belarusian land,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

During the Great Patriotic War Nazi invaders unleashed utter genocide against the Belarusian people. Khatyn shared the gruesome fate of more than 600 villages in Belarus that were destroyed together with their inhabitants, the message reads.

By killing, torturing, burning alive, sending our compatriots to deadly concentration camps, Nazis wanted to intimidate the Belarusians, slaughter a major part of the country’s population and turn the rest into slaves. But their misanthropic plans ended in dismal failure. No ordeals and humiliation could corrode people’s love for the Fatherland, deprive them of the will to fight,” the message stressed.