MINSK, 18 March (BelTA) – Statehood was not gifted to Belarus in the 20th century, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture and Science of the House of Representatives Doctor of History, Professor Igor Marzalyuk said at a meeting of BelTA's Expert Community project. The meeting discussed the impact and consequences of the Peace of Riga for Belarusian people.
“The historical memory and the historical truth cannot be treated selectively. We should spare no effort and use mass media, museums, documentaries to show that the Belarusian statehood in the 20th century was not a gift from anyone. No one has ever given us anything. That was the result of the fight of the Belarusian political elite. In addition, when we talk about 1939 and our contemporary borders, we should know that it was, too, the result of the fight of our elite for reunification, on both sides of the border,” Igor Marzalyuk said.
According to him, the Belarusian nation faced three great tragedies in the 20th century: the Peace of Riga, the repressions of 1937-1938, and the Great Patriotic War. Belarus has done a lot to commemorate the events of the Great Patriotic War. We should also set up a museum to tell about the national liberation movement in Western Belarus in 1939, Igor Marzalyuk believes.
“Many people mistakenly suppose that Western Belarus prospered as part of the Polish state. Some think that Western Belarus was returned to the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic as a result of the agreements between Hitler and Stalin. This museum should demonstrate what people in Western Belarus fought for and why activists were sent to Lukiskes Prison and Bereza Kartuska Prison. We should show this without stooping to xenophobia and insults. We should explain why they hated the reunification, why they killed Belarusian teachers and committed acts of genocide during the occupation. Everyone should know Belarus has not stolen a shred of someone else's land,” Igor Marzalyuk said.
