MINSK, 10 February (BelTA) - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled his visit to Israel as he met with representatives of religious denominations in Minsk on 10 February, BelTA learned.
“I remember my first visit to Israel. Some scoundrels, especially among nationalists, tried to accuse me of antisemitism. They even launched a campaign. I thought then: 'How do I go to Israel amid such accusations? Well, they are smart people, they will understand,” the head of state said.
He recounted that upon his arrival in Israel, he was informed that a large number of Jewish people were waiting to meet with him. It was decided to hold the meeting in a large hall of the hotel, which could bring together several hundred of those who wished to meet. “We needed to decide on a venue. We agreed to explain the situation to the people and propose to choose their representatives. They agreed,” the Belarusian leader recalled.
In his words, among other things, the meeting discussed the contribution of Jews to the victory over Nazism. At that time Aleksandr Lukashenko frankly said that Jews in Belarus fought very bravely, like nowhere else. “They had to. They avenged their fallen compatriots and fought selflessly, just like Russians and Belarusians did, or Slavs in general. You know, I received a standing ovation. This is how an 'anti-Semitic person' was welcomed in Israel,” the president noted.
He also recalled how the decision was made to create the Trostenets Memorial Complex where many Jews and representatives of other nationalities perished. Aleksandr Lukashenko then took a strong stance against dividing the victims by nationality. “I said then: 'Look, stop dividing, let's create a memorial there'. These are our people, our citizens. In percentage terms, probably there is no other place where the Nazis exterminated as many Jewish people as in Belarus,” the head of state stated.
Follow us on:
