Nobel laureate Zhores Alferov visited Chashniki region

With heartfelt warmth and gratitude for remembering their native Belarus, the residents of Chashniki welcomed the Nobel laureate, Cavalier of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" of all degrees, other orders and medals, and Honorary Citizen of the Chashniki District, Zhores Alferov. In 2001, he was awarded the official title "Man of Legend". Zhores Ivanovich was accompanied on his visit to Chashnikovshchina by his wife Tamara Georgievna, son Ivan, daughter Irina, and Rector of the Vitebsk State Technological University Valery Bashmetov.

– The people of Chashniki closely follow your successes and are always proud of them, – emphasized the Chairman of the District Executive Committee Vladimir Bulay, welcoming the guests. – And we are glad to welcome you to your native land!

– I must stand before my compatriots, – said Zhores Ivanovich. – In general, Belarus is a wonderful part of our great country. And the Belarusian people, of course, have written heroic pages in our common history. First of all, as a free people ready to fight for their independence at all times. Belarusians suffered the same losses in the war as the people of Leningrad, when every third person perished. It was in this republic that the most powerful partisan movement existed, entire districts that the fascists were afraid to enter. And in the shortest possible time, you rebuilt your republic. And I am very pleased with a wonderful fact: when Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko became President of the country, he returned the flag and coat of arms to it, Russian became the second state language, and the Day of Independence is the day of liberation from the German-fascist invaders.

I must admit, to my greatest regret, I never thought that the last years of my life would have to be lived in this nightmarish time. When the great country, the Soviet Union, was destroyed, when the friendship of our peoples, cemented over many centuries and having withstood the harshest trials of the Great Patriotic War, would crack. Today, our friends from Central Asia, coming to Petersburg, find themselves as guest workers... That the centuries-old friendship of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian peoples would turn into such problems. That our great country, Russia, would live solely on oil and gas, while the most powerful industries, based on scientific achievements, would be practically destroyed. In this regard, Belarus is an example for Russia. Although the situation here in 1994 was also very difficult. It began to change dramatically after the election of Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko as President, when a firm economic hand appeared. I travel a lot around the world, and I go to Belarus by car, and upon crossing the border with the Russian Federation, I immediately realize that I am entering a well-maintained, modern European country. There is powerful industry here. This republic is the only one of all the former union republics to have preserved its electronics industry. Although everything in this sector is very complex, it requires significant investment. The entire modern electronics industry and communication systems are based on silicon chips and semiconductor heterostructures. And lasers, solar panels, mobile phones, and much more are the work of our laboratory, my laboratory. And for me, this is a personal tragedy, because today all these things could be produced by us. Thank God that we have a Union State.

I believe that in modern conditions, preserving the system of education and youth upbringing is of paramount importance. I am very glad that the President and the government of Belarus actively support the National Academy of Sciences. That the republic fully understands that progress is driven by scientific developments, and a series of serious achievements are being made in the fields of mechanical engineering, electronic systems, and laser technology. Belarusans are, in many ways, an example for all of us.

I am very glad to visit my homeland and be among people dear to me. I wish you great success and prosperity! And may God give us the strength to overcome difficult tasks together.

Zhores Ivanovich answered many questions from the meeting participants. One of them was particularly relevant on the eve of the start of the new academic year. The scientist said that he has been dealing with the problems of educating young scientists for over 20 years. 28 years ago, a special physics and technology school was created, where gifted children are selected, and 15 years ago, an academic university was established at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He emphasized his confidence that children should be introduced to science from an early age.

Residents of Chashniki thanked Zhores Ivanovich, who established the International Alferov Funds to support talented youth in Russia and Belarus, for his attention to Belarusian children. Nikita Dubko was a scholarship holder of this fund, graduated from the University of Radioelectronics with honors, and today is invited to work at the department. They also spoke about another star of the district – an 11th-grade student of the Krasnolukskaya school, Elizaveta Natalevich, who has won the regional Belarusian language Olympiad three times, and this year – became the best in the republic.

– I will definitely tell the director of the Belarusian Fund about this girl, I think she will receive support, – the scientist promised.

Answering other questions, Zhores Ivanovich emphasized that he considers honesty, integrity, and adherence to one's life principles to be the main human qualities. And the secret of his family happiness is his wife. By the way, on that day, Tamara Georgievna had her birthday, and the residents of Chashniki heartily congratulated the scientist's wife.

The guests also visited the "Krasnaya Zvezda" paper mill, where, incidentally, Zhores Alferov inquired about the education of specialists and was quite surprised by the fact that there are only 15 engineers for 85 engineering and technical workers, and visited the graves of relatives at the city cemetery.

Elena Telyatko, "Vitebskiye vesti". Photos by the author.