A. Lukashenko presented the special award "Through Art - to Peace and Understanding" to L. Leshchenko

July 12, Vitebsk /Corr. BELTA/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented the special award "Through Art – To Peace and Mutual Understanding" to People's Artist of Russia Lev Leshchenko. The award ceremony took place today during the opening of the XXI International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk," as reported by a BELTA correspondent. The Head of State noted that the presentation of this award has become a good tradition of the festival. "It has become so prestigious that it has turned into a pop "Oscar," for which a real struggle unfolds," the President believes. People's Artist of Russia Lev Leshchenko emphasized that he is very happy, delighted, and proud to receive this high award. "I love Belarus and the Belarusian people very much. Despite the fact that we live in different states today, we are still in the same humanitarian space: we sing the same beautiful songs, watch the same films, read the same books, and walk side by side on the same road. I want this road to never end," he said. The maestro of Russian pop music also thanked the President of Belarus: "Alexander Grigoryevich, thank you for preserving this unique and brilliant Vitebsk festival in the post-Soviet space, which unites our fraternal Slavic peoples." The special award "Through Art – To Peace and Mutual Understanding" is presented to cultural and art figures, creative teams, and organizations that have made a significant contribution to strengthening international cultural cooperation, promoting achievements and examples of world artistic culture based on humanistic ideals and values. In different years, the award recipients included Alla Pugacheva, Sofia Rotaru, Alexandra Pakhmutova, Valery Leontiev, "Pesniary," Igor Luchenok. The first laureate of the award in 2005 was Russian composer Andrei Petrov. Since 2009, the names of the recipients of the special award have been immortalized on the Alley of Stars. In addition, the Union State Prizes in Literature and Art were awarded today to People's Artist of Belarus Georgy Poplavsky and Russian poet Gleb Gorbovsky "for works of literature and art that make a great contribution to strengthening relations of brotherhood, friendship, and cooperation between the states participating in the Union State." Alexander Lukashenko wished the laureates inspiration and new successes, and to Gleb Gorbovsky, who could not come to Vitebsk due to health reasons, he wished him to regain his strength quickly and visit the Belarusian land. -0-