MINSK, 11 December (BelTA) – The chairpersons of the chambers of the National Assembly of Belarus outlined the risks of genocide recurrence and the threats facing the modern world as they took part in the 3rd international conference to mark the 77th anniversary of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, BelTA has learned.
“History has taught us many valuable lessons, and we understand that peace is the greatest treasure that requires our constant attention and decisive action to protect it,” said Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova.
She stressed that the entire world must know the truth about the crimes committed by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War so that documentary evidence and eyewitness accounts serve as a reliable shield against the reemergence of Nazism. “We, as parliamentarians, together with representatives of other state bodies, act as guardians and defenders of historical truth. Our forums and meetings with young people and members of military-patriotic clubs are aimed at uniting people and strengthening ties between generations,” she emphasized. As examples, she cited the Memory Train project, which annually brings together young patriots of different nationalities, and the cultural and educational forum Children of the Commonwealth.
Natalya Kochanova noted that there are attempts to impose alien values and false ideals on young people, undermine trust in state institutions, and manipulate public opinion. “In today’s conditions of open information confrontation, when historical facts are being falsified, we must firmly suppress any attempts to distort reality or diminish the heroism of the Soviet soldier and the multinational Soviet people who freed the world from the brown plague. That is why the updated Constitution of the Republic of Belarus enshrines the duty to preserve historical memory, and why the laws On Preventing the Rehabilitation of Nazism and On the Genocide of the Belarusian People were adopted,” she said.
For his part, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko noted that the heroic ancestors who defeated fascism believed they had laid a solid foundation for peaceful development for future generations. “However, eight decades later, humanity once again finds itself on the brink of disaster. This is facilitated by the irresponsible revanchist policies of Western countries. Europe is rapidly militarizing, disrupting the military balance and bringing the world closer to a global conflict.
“At the same time, statements by Western politicians increasingly echo ideas of Nazism, xenophobia and racial intolerance, creating conditions for the repetition of genocide crimes and undermining the efforts of those who adopted the Convention,” Igor Sergeyenko stated.
He stressed that it is our duty to remind the world where such ambitions lead and to ensure that contemporary society maintains a just assessment of the bloody crimes committed by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Great Patriotic War.
“The results of the criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people, investigated by the Prosecutor General’s Office, have formed the basis for national legislation, extensive research and educational work, and international efforts to preserve peace,” he emphasized.
Igor Sergeyenko believes that the conference will make a meaningful contribution to preserving the memory of the victims of Nazism, strengthening intolerance toward any manifestations of xenophobia, and ensuring that the authoritative voices of experts defending the ideals of peace, justice, humanity and humanism, the principles underlying the Convention, are heard by the international community.
The 3rd international conference to mark the 77th anniversary of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Minsk has brought together high-ranking officials of Belarus, representatives from the CIS and other countries and also members of the academic communities from Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy, Poland, Russia, and the United States.
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