MINSK, 20 May (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has met with activists of Belarus' pioneer organization on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the pioneer movement, BelTA has learned.
First of all, the head of state congratulated the children, their parents and grandparents on this day. “You are still very young, but, one might say, you are at ground zero of the revival of a real pioneer organization. I have a feeling that this year will be packed with events for us, for our youth in the BRSM Youth Union and for you, pioneers. There is a lot of work for us to do in the coming years. Therefore, you are at the origins of it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president reminisced about his childhood. According to him, it fell on the heyday of the pioneer movement. “It was about patriotism. I even remember when they gave me the Pioneer's scarlet necktie and taught me how to tie a knot. I remember myself ironing this necktie. There was not a single day when I went to school without the tie. The tie was a mandatory thing. These were the happiest years, because they were carefree. I was not stressed by anything,” the head of state said sharing his memories.
At the same time Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that in those years life was not easy for rural children, because in addition to studying they had to work hard, help their family. “I would not say that we had a lot of fun. It is true, we lived carefree. We studied. We could do sports from morning till night whenever we were free from agricultural works. There was a lot of work in the countryside. Helping elderly people was a must. We did not forget about them. After the war, there were a lot of wounded and it was necessary to help them. Respect for the elders was huge,” the president said.
