BELGRADE, 3 December (BelTA) – The main achievement is that Belarus and Serbia can be the owners of their land, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in his speech at the Serbian parliament on 3 December, BelTA informs.
“Today at the meeting with Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic I said that I came to visit close friends, came to the country which has so much in common with Belarus. This is what our delegation and I always feel in Belgrade. But this visit is special for me,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He remarked that in 2019 the two countries marked the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. According to the head of state, it was a complicated historical path. “Our main achievement is the ability to be the owners of our land, to determine development priorities in sync with the spirit of the time and our national interests on our own,” the president stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled his visit 20 years ago when he came to Belgrade to demonstrate his support to the brotherly nation of Serbia. “Back then thousands of innocent people died during that ruthless aggression of NATO against sovereign Yugoslavia. And you still feel the aftershocks of that war,” the head of state added. “We were with you, provided all-round support to you in those moments. Belarus always supports Serbia in matters concerning the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Our stance has been the same for many years and will not change in the future.”
According to the president, people's solidarity and heart-felt compassion help build cultural and spiritual unity, are the foundation of Belarusian-Serbian relations. “This is our great legacy which we must preserve for our children and grandchildren. Serbian and Belarusian people know what the war is like, know about its devastating consequences and irretrievable losses,” he stressed.
In 2019, the countries celebrated the 75th anniversary of liberation from Nazism. Accordion to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the number of living witnesses of the biggest tragedy in the history of the mankind is decreasing every year. Therefore, it is especially important to preserve the memory of the heroes and innocent victims of that war. “It should be done for our security and peaceful existence of Europe and the whole world,” the Belarusian leader said.
The parliamentary election campaign will begin in Serbia soon. The president wished the MPs to pass this important test with flying colors. “Do not fight against each other. Serbians are the only stronghold which was left from the once great state of Yugoslavia. Probably, somebody will disagree that Yugoslavia was a great state, but people in the Soviet Union saw it that way. We even envied you a little bit for your level of development, advanced economy, society, public order. Your country achieved a lot, and our authorities were rather jealous, to the level of animosity at certain stages. Therefore, be united, because Serbians and Belarusians have enough adversaries and enemies. So we need to calm down, think about this sacred land, about our people,” the head of state concluded.
