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PRESS RELEASE
Washington, D.C., October 26, 2007
Alexander Lukashenko: Accusations of
Religious and National Discrimination Are Absurd
Having worthily survived all the trials,
the Belarusian nation has acquired a strong immunity against any
manifestations of inhumane ideologies and opinions aimed at separating and
destroying people. That is why Belarus appreciates peace and mutual respect
between nations so much and any attempts to accuse the Belarusian leadership
of religious or national discrimination are absurd. President of Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko made the statement as he met with participants of the
International Conference “Dialogue between Christianity and Islam in
globalization conditions” on October 26. The event takes place in Minsk on
October 25-27. Eleven representatives of Christian, Muslim and Judaic
organizations of Belarus, the Vatican, Azerbaijan, Serbia and Finland took
part in the meeting with Alexander Lukashenko.
“If somebody claims that anti-Semitism
flourishes in Belarus or that we oppress the Muslim population, don’t
believe it. These words are said by foes and enemies of Belarus. Only they
can defame this holy land and this holy nation. Internationalism is the
foundation of our country’s policy. It is not just a declaration, we
demonstrate it far and wide. And it will be so for ever,” the President
assured.
“There is no ‘Jewish problem’ in Belarus
at all. The history of our country is most closely related with the Jews. In
times of the Russian Empire Belarus was behind the Jewish pale of
settlement, which is why nationalities got so intermixed here that it would
be foolish to think that Belarusians have a grudge against Jews or Poles,”
remarked the Head of State. “Does somebody think that I, the President,
profit from seeding discord and enmity in the society? It could be
advantageous to anyone else but not me,” he stressed.
The President also refuted claims about
Belarus’ having “a Polish problem” as untenable. “Not a single Pole is
oppressed in our country. They are our citizens we will stand up for. For
Belarus Poles are a great national asset that we cannot neglect,” stated
Alexander Lukashenko.
The President reminded, Belarusians and
Poles, Tartars and Jews have lived as good neighbors in the Belarusian land
for centuries. An Orthodox Christian church, a Catholic church, a mosque and
a synagogue have been standing together, in the same square, in towns and
villages. “The unique historic experience has taught our people to
understand and accept each other. Today Belarus remains a common, calm and
comfortable home to people of 140 nationalities and 25 confessions.”
Speaking about the International Conference being held in Minsk, the Head of
State expressed confidence, that such a forum is extremely topical in the
modern world. “We see aggressive forces cynically trampling under foot all
divine commandments, starting bloody wars innocents die in. The mankind has
approached a dangerous threshold when everyone has to think about how
relations between countries and nations should be built from now on, how
problems should be solved – using force or using wisdom, mercy and justice,”
said the President.
In his words, nowadays mass media wind up the pressure around the so-called
conflict of civilizations, a conflict between the Christian and Muslim
worlds. “Your face-to-face dialogue testifies that nobody, even powers that
be, will manage to blackmail and bring you up against each other. You show
to the entire world that there is no conflict of religions now,” stressed
Alexander Lukashenko. He remarked, the participation of leaders of
respectable and authoritative religious associations of the West and the
East in the Conference demonstrates not only the concern about the state of
affairs in the world but expresses hope and belief that all confessional
discords can be overcome through working together. Alexander Lukashenko said
he was confident Belarus’ experience of building equivocal, friendly
relations between representatives of different denominations will be
interesting and useful to other countries.
Throughout its entire history Belarus has
never initiated wars between nations or religious conflicts. The country has
everything necessary to make every man feel socially protected and confident
in the future. “Belarusian laws tolerate no racial, national or religious
discrimination and guard the freedom of conscience. Belarus is becoming a
promised land for people from various countries where armed conflicts blaze.
Here they are guaranteed stability and peace, opportunities for raising
children and working, preserving their traditions and culture,” stressed the
President. He also added, the Government’s policy concerning ethnoses and
confessions is the guarantor of civil peace and accord in the society. “If a
man has a home and a job, has a good family and respect of the others, he
will never take arms and use them against a neighbor of another nationality
or belief,” Alexander Lukashenko is convinced.
“Evaluating the benefit of the dialogue
that the Conference you take part in demonstrates, I can draw an important
conclusion: if the West did want Belarus to be the way it says the country
should be, the West would at least dialogue,” remarked the President. “If
the dialogue is substituted by an ultimatum, it means the West desires
Belarus to match the negative image that is maintained,” said Alexander
Lukashenko.
The Head of State reminded, Belarus
continues developing economic relations with Western Europe, with fewer and
fewer trade barriers left. “As far as politics is concerned, I am confident,
in its time Europe will understand it cannot live to the full without
Belarus, its heart,” said the President.
“The economic and social-political model
of, let’s say, the West cannot be blindly copied and enforced in the
countries where totally different, sometimes more demanding approaches to
the social order and morals exist, where centuries-old values are
prioritized,” stressed the President.
“Formally the Church and the state are
separate from each other in Belarus. But how can it be when we address
common problems, guided by the common care for actually the same people,”
said the President. “The Church’s separation from the state is a purely
juridical fact. Actually only through uniting forces we can secure fruitful
results,” he added.
The Head of State once again underlined,
Belarus makes no distinctions between small and large confessions. In the
country equal rights for all are preached. The oppression of interests of
religious or national minorities is totally non-existent. According to
Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s largest confession – the Belarusian
Christian Orthodox Church – is guided by the principle “If you are large,
help the little”.
“Religious organizations should help every
person to find the way to the temple, avoiding enforcement of their values.
May the God aid you in it!” concluded the President of Belarus.
In turn, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk,
Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus Filaret, who took part in the meeting,
remarked that the purpose of the present conference was to make a stirring
attempt to reveal the image of a genuinely open meeting of representatives
of different denominations.” “We, the clergy of the one God, should show the
secular society and the congregation an example how the dialogue about what
unites all of us can be and should be led,” he said.
According to the Patriarchal Exarch, such conferences have been held every
year since 2002. “This most precious experience is very important for every
man of good will,” stressed the Metropolitan. “An ancient wisdom says if you
want to understand the soul of a nation, study its faith. If we are wanted
to be heard, understood and supported, we should meet more often,” he added.
Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese
Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz remarked, he was glad he had returned to the home
country, Belarus. “The world always changes. I see that Belarus, its cities
Minsk and Grodno have changed a lot for the best. One can say these are
favorable conditions for spiritual revival”.
“We see the outside world bristle with
problems that should not exist! Those are first of all terrorism,
xenophobia, and moral relativism and secularism. There is only one way out –
a dialogue between religions and between religions and the secular world,”
stressed Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz. “Both the Church and the state were created
for the benefit of people. They have a very wide area for joint work, which
can secure a genuinely positive result,” said the Catholic hierarch. “The
Roman Catholic Church will do its best for the sake of promoting a dialogue
able to prove to everyone that Belarus is the home where all confessions and
ethnic groups feel like brothers and sisters,” Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz assured
the President of Belarus.
Sharing his impressions of Belarus,
President of the Spiritual Authority of Caucasus Muslims, Sheikh-ul-Islam
Allahshukur Pashazadeh said he had seen with his own eyes that in Belarus
people feel they are truly equal regardless of the language or faith. “We
always ready to help you in suppressing any attempts to use religion in
order to kindle dissension and terrorism,” Allahshukur Pashazadeh assured
the President of Belarus. The leader of Caucasus Muslims presented a
five-volume Russian-language edition of the Koran to Alexander Lukashenko
and a picture with a view of Baku from President Ilham Aliyev.
In turn, President of the Muslim Religious
Association in Belarus, Mufti Abu-Bekir Shabanovich underscored, the
cooperation of the state and various religious organisations should not be
characterised by equidistance, but equal proximity. The Belarusian state
policy is a positive example of it. Abu-Bekir Shabanovich presented a versed
Russian-language edition of the Koran and the Sunnah to the President of
Belarus.
President of the European Jews Community of Azerbaijan
Gennady Zelmanovich pointed out the major contribution of the Belarusian
nation to saving Jews from the Nazi persecution during the Great Patriotic
War. In turn, President of the Association of Judaic Religious Communities
in Belarus Vladimir Malinkin stressed, in Belarus representatives of all
religions, including Judaism, feel equally comfortable. “I feel no
manifestation of anti-Semitism. The fact that new synagogues are vigorously
built in Belarus means that Jews want to live and bear children in the land
where they feel good,” said Vladimir Malinkin. |
