POLOTSK,18 June (BelTA) - Memory is the ongoing commitment of generations to remember the history of the war, Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko said as he took part in the commemorative event to mark the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War at the Peski memorial in Poltosk on 18 June, BelTA has learned.
The speaker of the lower house of the Belarusian parliament noted that the memory of the sufferings that Belarusians had to endure during the Nazi occupation is a never-ending pain. "As long as we feel it, we remain human. Memory is the ongoing commitment of generations. They tell us to forget everything, but history is not some kind of toy. It is not something you can distort. No, history is eternal: there is justice, facts and evidences. If we forget the past, then we can repeat it. We cannot allow this to happen. We must preserve the memory of the past in order to continue the dialogue with the present and ensure the future," Vladimir Andreichenko said.
“The Peski memorial is a testament to the terrible tragedy that unfolded in the heart of Europe, which we have no right to forget. The genocide against the Belarusian people is one of the blackest and most shameful pages in the modern history of humanity. "There can be no oblivion and forgiveness of these crimes. The memory of the ordeals endured by our fathers and grandfathers is filled with pain and sorrow, but also with pride for those who did everything possible and impossible to win that war," Vladimir Andreichenko noted.
Our people prevailed, revived the country, defended the right to freedom and independence. It is the duty of all generations to protect this land. “Some do not like it today. The current followers of the Nazis and their accomplices are trying to confuse people, first of all, the young, the immature. They promise them easy money and dolce vita life. Only the prosperity that is created by own own hands is lasting. That is why we must not give up our positions. We need all government and public institutions to work together. We might have missed something in the past, but we are aware of this problem. We need to do our best so that our children continue to believe in the same values that were important to us,” Vladimir Andreichenko added..
According to him, the unity and consolidation of the government and the people are important today. The speaker of the parliament expressed gratitude to all those who participated in the creation of the memorial.
The 80th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War was marked with a commemorative event at the Peski memorial in Polotsk on 18 June. The event was attended by hundreds of people, including politicians and public figures, government officials, heads of all religious confessions, foreign diplomatic missions, organizations and citizens who contributed to the construction of the memorial. Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, consecrated the memorial chapel built in honor of the Great Martyr George the Victorious.
The Peski memorial is a Great Patriotic War mass grave near Saint Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk. The Nazis used this site as a transit camp for Soviet prisoners of war Dulag-125. People executed in the Gromy camp for civilians and those from the city prison and the Gestapo were buried here. The total number of the Nazi victims buried on the site of the former camp exceedis tens of thousands of people. A memorial was opened here in 2020.
