MOSCOW, 28 June (BelTA) – A wreath was placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall in Moscow on behalf of the Belarusian Embassy on 28 June on the occasion of Belarus' Independence Day and the 77th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, BelTA has learned.
The wreaths at the Eternal Fire were laid on behalf of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia and the Standing Committee of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. Attending the ceremony were Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia Vladimir Semashko, State Secretary of the Belarus-Russia Union State Dmitry Mezentsev, representatives of the Eurasian Economic commission, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russia Union State, other integration agencies and also representatives of the Belarusian community in Russia and diplomats.
The participants to the ceremony laid flowers at the memorial plates Minsk Hero City and Brest Hero Fortress in the Alley of Hero Cities in the Alexander Garden. A military orchestra performed the Belarusian anthem. The ceremony wrapped up with a march-past of the guards of honor.
"I would like to congratulate everyone on the country's upcoming main national holiday - Independence Day (Republic Day)," Ambassador Vladimir Semashko told reporters after the ceremony. He noted that 77 years ago the occupied Minsk was liberated and the date was chosen as the main state holiday of the country.”
"We honor this day. We honor the feat of fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers,” Vladimir Semashko said. “The war was brutal, the victory was very hard for Belarus that lost every third resident. The country's economy was completely destroyed. Today we bow our heads before our ancestors for what they accomplished during and after the war."
