The trip of veterans of military intelligence from Russia, Serbia, and Belarus across our country began in the Vitebsk region
The trip around Belarus by veterans of military intelligence from friendly countries began in the Vitebsk region. As noted by the head of the Serbian delegation, Chairman of the Board of the Military Intelligence Veterans Council of the Republic of Serbia, Major General of Military Intelligence Radoslav Škorić, Serbs and Belarusians have much in common.
– During World War II, the underground and partisan movements of Serbia and Belarus made a significant contribution to the victory over fascism and the liberation of our peoples, – emphasized Radoslav Škorić at a meeting in Vitebsk. – We are glad that Belarusian-Serbian relations are developing both through the ministries of defense and in other areas. We represent the so-called people's diplomacy: we are restoring and expanding contacts to find new points of convergence for the interaction of our countries.
The head of the Serbian delegation added that this is his second visit to Belarus, and he is very pleased to see friends, his colleagues – veterans of military intelligence, whose heroic deeds, due to the specifics of their activities, were not widely known to the public.
Radoslav Škorić congratulated the residents of the Vitebsk region on significant events: the upcoming Independence Day and the recent 80th anniversary of the region's formation. In addition, he recalled that in 1999, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, provided great support to Serbia, which was then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and was under attack from NATO, for which the people of this Balkan country are extremely grateful to the Belarusian leader.
The Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, said that this is a traditional meeting of military intelligence veterans, the 15th such meeting.
– The main goal is to show our colleagues from abroad how our shared memory of the feat of soldiers during World War II is preserved in the Vitebsk region. It is no less important to restore the names of unknown soldiers buried in mass graves, – said Vladimir Vladimirovich. – For example, last year, about 2300 names of soldiers, partisans, and underground fighters who died for the freedom and independence of our Motherland were restored.
The head of the Vitebsk region's deputy corps noted that strong cultural ties connect our region with Serbia. Vitebsk and Novopolotsk are twin cities with some cities in the Balkan country, and the mayor of Niš has been officially invited to "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk." Vladimir Terentyev also admitted that his grandfather participated in the liberation of Belgrade, which is why he has a special attitude towards Serbia.
The head of the Russian delegation, Chief of the Military Academy of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Vladimir Kuzmichev, also spoke about the importance of the established contacts. He believes that military intelligence officers made a significant contribution to the liberation of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War. And the upcoming trip to the Rossonsky district, where a partisan organization led by Pyotr Masherov operated, is significant and interesting for him.
Many members of the veteran organization of Russian military intelligence served in Belarus, and their connection with our country can be described as kindred.
Guests from the neighboring country presented the head of the regional council with a book that details natives of our region who died during the bloody battles of the Great Patriotic War and were buried in Russia. Vladimir Vladimirovich noted that this is a great help in the search work to identify the names of our compatriots.
In addition, Vladimir Terentyev proposed visiting the Vitebsk Cadet School during a similar meeting next year.