MINSK, 9 May (BelTA) – A solemn ritual took place in the State Flag Square in Minsk on 9 May to honor the state flag and the state emblem. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko took part in it, BelTA has learned.
This year's Victory Day coincided with Day of the State Emblem and the State Flag, which is marked on the second Sunday of May.
The ritual is meant to bolster respect for the state symbols of the Republic of Belarus. The ritual is based on the Constitution's provisions on the state flag and the state emblem – symbols of Belarus as a sovereign state.
As the head of state that embodies the unity of the nation, on behalf of the entire Belarusian nation Aleksandr Lukashenko honored Belarus' state symbols that embody the supreme public and political values – independence and sovereignty.
The head of state passed the canvas of the State Flag and an image of the State Emblem to representatives of the youth as a token of the continuity of civil traditions and the unity of all generations of the Belarusian nation. In turn, the young people swore an oath of allegiance to the State Flag.
The ritual ended with the performance of Belarus' State Anthem.
Helicopters bearing images of the state flag and the state emblem flew over the square. Aircraft painted skies above Minsk with colors of the State Flag.
Chairman of the Youth Parliament under the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Yegor Makarevich described the coincidence of two festive days on 9 May this year as a historical event. “We celebrate not only Victory Day but Day of the State Emblem and the State Flag. We celebrate the sovereignty of our country. As the president said in Pobedy Square today, sovereignty and independence are the things that will be preserved forever,” he noted.
Yegor Makarevich is convinced that the entire Belarusian nation shares these values. “We understand that the young generation has not only to preserve the future of our state but do well in front of the previous generations, our veterans, who secured this blue sky for us and secured our right to live in a peaceful country,” the representative of the youth said. He stressed that today's solemn ritual is a sincere and reverent moment for him.
Yegor Makarevich went on saying: “We are ready to go ahead [with the development of the country and the society]. But it can be done if one has a reliable foundation. Which is the accomplishments the Belarusian nation has.”
