MINSK, 29 April (BelTA) – Territorial integrity and national unity are becoming more and more significant today, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture and Science of the House of Representatives, Doctor of History, Professor Igor Marzalyuk told journalists as he took part in the parliamentary hearings “Territorial integrity and people's unity of Belarus. Historical and legal aspects of reunification of Western Belarus into the BSSR”, BelTA has learned.
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Peace of Riga that cost Belarus its territorial integrity and posed a threat to the future of our nation. One of the reasons for Belarus to declare this year the Year of People's Unity was the attempts to shatter our unity. This is why territorial integrity and national unity that we obtained in the course of tragic and controversial events are getting more and more important. It should also be mentioned that entire Eastern Europe is going through so-called wars for history, when many facts are distorted to benefit one or another political goal,” Igor Marzalyuk noted.
This topic has never been more important, he stressed. “We will discuss the geopolitical realities of the 20th century, the reaction to the Peace of Riga, including from other countries, the rights of Belarusians and whether they existed in the late 1930s, crimes against humanity, and the genocide of the Belarusian people. I would like to point out that we do not want to fuel xenophobia and inter-ethnic hatred or alienate those Belarusian citizens who consider themselves part of the Polish culture. The parliamentary hearings will focus primarily on finding new methods to preserve the historical memory and uniting the Belarusian society, all Belarusian citizens. This is the most important message we want to convey, telling people the truth about the history of Belarus, the tragedy of the 20th century, our martyrs and heroes,” Igor Marzalyuk explained.
The agenda of the hearings includes international and geopolitical outcomes of the reunification of the Belarusian nation, the history and modern state of affairs of the Belarusian-Polish relations, adoption of legal regulations on government's activities to preserve the historical heritage, and other matters.
Taking part in the hearings are representatives of the Justice Ministry, the Academy of Public Administration under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, the Belarusian Research Institute of Records Management and Archival Studies, scientific organizations, and higher education institutions.
Photos by Sergei Sheleg
