MINSK, 9 December (BelTA) – The plenary session of the first youth military-patriotic forum took place at military unit No.3214, BelTA has learned.
Participants of the forum delivered reports on military-patriotic education in Belarus, fight against fake news, the initiative and civic activism of modern patriots, and other matters.
“Pride in one’s country and devotion to it, the desire to make it strong and prosperous, to protect one’s home, family, and land are passed down by Belarusians from generation to generation. Defending the Fatherland has always been and will always be the highest virtue in the consciousness of the Belarusian people,” Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in his welcoming speech.
He pointed out that young people will very soon have to participate in the life of the republic, to build and protect the future of Belarus. “We live in an amazing time when it is up to you to decide what our tomorrow will be like. Your ideas, aspirations, energy, and passion for your Motherland can change everything around you for the better. Looking at you, at the life choice you have made by enrolling in the Military Academy, the Suvorov Military School, or a cadet school, a military-patriotic class, or by joining a military-patriotic club, I see people who are ready to invest their strength and knowledge in the development of our beautiful country. Continue to set ambitious goals for yourselves, strive to achieve them, as they say, be bold, actively participate in the public life of the country, inspire each other to new achievements, and move only forward,” the minister emphasized.
Deputy Internal Affairs Minister and Commander of the Internal Troops Nikolai Karpenkov noted that some forces abroad are actively trying to influence the situation in Belarus. “If you want to defeat the enemy, raise his children. This is exactly what our enemies have been trying to do for many years. The humiliation of people in uniform after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the imposition of the Western education system, and the creation of countless foundations through which billions of U.S. dollars were funneled into the promotion of Western values, fierce attempts to destroy our cultural traditions, national identity, attempts to rewrite history, denial of the genocide of the Belarusian people, and the belittling of the heroic deeds of our ancestors are just a few examples. Our opponents have long been trying to educate our children, sparing no effort or expense, using modern technology and social networks. They introduce alien values and norms of behavior, promoting a destructive ideology, massively distorting historical facts and the image of our state. They want the defense, security, and law enforcement agencies and the government to be led by brainwashed leaders who support so-called Western rules and values and do not know the true history,” Nikolai Karpenkov said.
He added that awareness of the seriousness of the situation in 2020 prompted the country’s leadership and the Internal Affairs Ministry to determine military-patriotic education of young people as one of the key areas of work. “Today there are 207 military-patriotic clubs operating within the Internal Affairs Ministry system. There are 23 clubs in the internal troops, with more than 2,700 members. The young people are provided with everything they need from uniforms to training weapons and camping equipment. And parents don’t pay for anything,” the commander of the internal troops emphasized. He also spoke about a large number of events in which members of military-patriotic clubs participate with genuine interest.
Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova pointed out that the forum will become an annual event. “We would like to hold it in different regions of our country starting with Brest Oblast next year,” she said.
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