MINSK, 22 June (BelTA) – Watching the reenactment of the Brest Fortress defense is a very emotional and overwhelming experience, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said at the meeting hosted by the Brest Oblast Executive Committee on 22 June, BelTA has learned.
Sergei Lebedev noted that the Brest Fortress is a sacred place for peoples of the CIS countries, since representatives of many ethnicities fought bravely and died as they defended the citadel. “Visiting the Brest Fortress evokes strong emotions. It is impossible not to feel excitement, awe and sadness. To be honest tears came to eyes during the reenactment of the tragic events of 22 June 1941, especially after seeing the final scenes of the fortress defense. After watching this you want only one thing: never to experience something like this again and to remember the heroism and courage of our fathers and grandfathers. The memory of the common Victory encourages us to preserve friendship and brotherhood between our peoples,” the chairman of the CIS Executive Committee said.
He added that Belarusians cherish the memory of those killed in the Great Patriotic War. “Belarusians take care of the graves of representatives of all the CIS countries. Streets are named after defenders who fell during the liberation of Belarus. I would like to thank Belarusians for that,” Sergei Lebedev said.
Brest Oblast Governor Yuri Shuleiko agreed that the Brest Fortress leaves no one indifferent. The memorial complex is visited by thousands of tourists every year. He added that the region is also famous for its other historical, cultural and natural landmarks. “The tourism industry has a big potential here. Hospitality is one of our main features. Brest Oblast takes pride in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, castles and palaces, amazing nature. We have a lot of things related to traditional culture. There are plans to unite the Polesie region into a single cluster, to link Brest Oblast and Gomel Oblast by one route. Polesie residents are interesting and hard-working people, with their own traditions and way of life. The economy is rebounding thanks to inbound tourism. The deterring factor is coronavirus. It is difficult to move between countries, borders are closed,” the governor stressed.
Sergei Lebedev noted that the CIS is taking joint action to confront the pandemic. “This includes medical care, PCR tests, vaccines, exchanging groups of doctors and medical experts. “We hope that we will overcome this problem as well,” he said.
Sergei Lebedev added that Belarus is successfully presiding in the CIS this year. “Dozens of joint events are held in Belarus. Belarus is a good negotiating platform for resolving many problems. People come here with great pleasure, because they know that the country is hospitable and will always create a favorable atmosphere for negotiations,” he added.
