The world community must join forces to overcome the global crisis and other challenges - A. Lukashenko

14:33:41 3/7 NO,RKO,RO,F,SAVI / 64 July 3, Minsk /Corr. BELTA/. Belarus remembers and is proud of the feat of the generation of Victors. This was stated by the head of state Alexander Lukashenko, speaking on July 3 at a parade in commemoration of the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus and the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, BELTA was informed by the press service of the President. The head of state considers it deeply symbolic that Independence Day is celebrated in our country on July 3, thereby linking together the words and concepts that are sacred to every Belarusian - Freedom and Independence. "By defining this date as the main state holiday, the Belarusian people have once again proven their wisdom," said Alexander Lukashenko. "After all, the source of our sovereignty is not paper declarations, not statements by so-called national leaders, but the will of the people, their respect for their heroic history, for the difficult, arduous and unforgettable feat of millions of soldiers and officers, partisans and underground fighters, civilians who defeated the brown plague." Despite the fact that the Nazis managed to set foot on Belarusian soil, they could not bring the Belarusian people to their knees, the head of state emphasized. "During the war years, despite the objective contradictions and different political foundations, Western countries were in the same ranks with the Soviet people in the fight against Nazism. The years of World War II showed that there is nothing more valuable than the cohesion and unity of countries and peoples," the President noted. In his opinion, today, to overcome the global financial and economic crisis, prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and combat extremism and terrorism, the international community must join forces and consistently pursue a fair and peace-loving policy. According to Alexander Lukashenko, "the significance of our country's role in ensuring security and maintaining peace in the European region should not raise doubts for anyone." The President is convinced that in the world "there should be no superpowers that have endowed themselves with the right to dictate terms on how sovereign and independent states should live." "Every people, every country has the right to its own choice of development path. This is a fundamental principle of international relations," Alexander Lukashenko stressed. "Therefore, Belarus, as one of the founders of the United Nations, strives for the rapprochement of peoples. We are categorically against resolving any kind of conflicts by military means." "It is very important that every state realizes its responsibility to the world community. Belarus remains true to the traditions of peace and good neighborliness. We consider the development of comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with all states, the preservation and strengthening of existing systems of international and regional security, and the consistent pursuit of a balanced multi-vector foreign policy to be our vital interests," the head of state added. At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko noted with regret that "recently there have been attempts to interpret the principle of multi-vector policy almost as a betrayal of allies by Belarus." "The desire of opponents of Belarusian-Russian integration to drive a wedge between our relations is not weakening," the President noted. "I have repeatedly said and I will emphasize again (and I want this to be heard, first of all, by Russians and the leadership of Russia): Belarus does not trade friendship with Russia. We are fraternal peoples, we are one people. Our common Great Victory and today's anniversary, symbolizing our joint contribution to the defeat of the aggressor, to the liberation of our peoples and all of humanity from fascist enslavement, outweigh mutual disagreements and claims a thousandfold. Together we have solved and will solve any problems." Alexander Lukashenko also noted that "over the past 15 years, the republic has repeatedly been predicted economic collapse and social upheaval, but our resilience is sufficient." Against the backdrop of modern conflicts and terrorist acts occurring on different continents of the planet, Belarus reliably ensures peace and harmony in society, unity of the people, and protection from military threats and other external challenges. In order for this to continue, we consistently and persistently strengthen our national security, including defense capability, the President stated. In his assessment, the Belarusian army is well-armed and trained to defend its country. "Our sons who are performing their military duty to the Motherland are the elite of society. And we must do everything to ensure that they have the most modern weapons, are socially protected, and most importantly, that soldiers' mothers are confident in their successful future. People in uniform in our country consistently enjoy trust and respect. We have achieved that serving in the Belarusian army has become honorable and prestigious," said Alexander Lukashenko. The head of state expressed sincere words of gratitude to all veterans and congratulated his compatriots on a significant date in Belarus's heroic history. -0-