MINSK, 18 September (BelTA) – Belarusians belong to various political parties and public organizations, yet they continue to demonstrate unity, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, Member of the House of Representatives Oleg Gaidukevich said during the Forum of Patriotic Forces of Belarus at the Palace of Sports in Minsk on 17 September, BelTA learned.
“How can one destroy a country? By dividing it. We have seen this happen many times in history. The Soviet Union was divided and plunged into bloodshed. Ukraine was also divided and witnessed a similar fate. Think of Yugoslavia and the Middle East, Iraq. No one wants war or death. Everyone wants peace,” he said, adding that adversaries often exploit religious and national differences to divide, plunder, and destroy a country.
Oleg Gaidukevich noted that similar attempts were made with Belarus. “Think back to the early 1990s. We were divided by religion, with Catholics and Orthodox. We were also divided by language, with those who spoke Russian and those who spoke Belarusian. And we were divided by identity, with 'pure' Belarusians and 'impure' Belarusians,” he said.
However, he stressed, Belarusians were fortunate. In 1994, Aleksandr Lukashenko became President. He did not allow the country to be divided. In particular, the language issue was resolved. “But attempts to divide us didn’t stop. The latest was in 2020, when they tried to split us politically, pouring in millions of dollars. But it didn’t work,” the parliamentarian emphasized.
“Today, from this stage, I want to say: Belarusians, we are different, like a family. There is no family without disagreements. But it is still a family. We can belong to different parties, public organizations, or be nonpartisan. We don’t need those parties and politicians of the world who bring division. We don’t need them. We need peace. We need unity!” he said.
Oleg Gaidukevich noted that Belarusians cannot be defeated militarily or crushed by economic sanctions if the people remain united, and this has been proven.
“How can one destroy a country? By dividing it. We have seen this happen many times in history. The Soviet Union was divided and plunged into bloodshed. Ukraine was also divided and witnessed a similar fate. Think of Yugoslavia and the Middle East, Iraq. No one wants war or death. Everyone wants peace,” he said, adding that adversaries often exploit religious and national differences to divide, plunder, and destroy a country.
Oleg Gaidukevich noted that similar attempts were made with Belarus. “Think back to the early 1990s. We were divided by religion, with Catholics and Orthodox. We were also divided by language, with those who spoke Russian and those who spoke Belarusian. And we were divided by identity, with 'pure' Belarusians and 'impure' Belarusians,” he said.
However, he stressed, Belarusians were fortunate. In 1994, Aleksandr Lukashenko became President. He did not allow the country to be divided. In particular, the language issue was resolved. “But attempts to divide us didn’t stop. The latest was in 2020, when they tried to split us politically, pouring in millions of dollars. But it didn’t work,” the parliamentarian emphasized.
“Today, from this stage, I want to say: Belarusians, we are different, like a family. There is no family without disagreements. But it is still a family. We can belong to different parties, public organizations, or be nonpartisan. We don’t need those parties and politicians of the world who bring division. We don’t need them. We need peace. We need unity!” he said.
Oleg Gaidukevich noted that Belarusians cannot be defeated militarily or crushed by economic sanctions if the people remain united, and this has been proven.
“Our president and those who have stood with him for over 30 years did not allow division. And it depends on us, on each of us, whether it will remain that way for the next 100 years,” he said.
Photos by Vitaly Pivovarchik, Tatiana Matusevich
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