Lukashenko was proposed to create a museum and memorial of ethnocide in Belarus
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was proposed at a meeting with the ideological asset, historical and expert community, dedicated to the Day of National Unity, to create a museum and memorial of Polish ethnocide policy in the country, BELTA correspondent reports.
During the event, one of the participants addressed the head of state with two initiatives concerning the ethnocide of the Belarusian people. Chairman of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture and Science of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Igor Marzalyuk proposed to create a national-scale museum on the site of the "Berez-Kartuzskaya" concentration camp about the Polish occupation and the national liberation movement. He also put forward the idea of creating a memorial, similar to "Khatyn," on the site of one of the settlements or villages destroyed in western Belarus under the guise of strengthening "Polishness." According to the deputy, this would be a visible testament to the sacrifices made by Belarusians for the sake of national unity. "This is precisely what evokes empathy at the level of a child, an adult. Especially since there are many such family stories among Western Belarusians who defended the BSSR, their country," he said.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that the decision on both proposals must be balanced, verified, and timely. The President, according to him, has been contemplating this recently, watching thematic segments on television channels, and admits that a museum may appear in "Berez-Kartuzskaya," but only on the condition that there is absolute certainty and a pressing need for its creation. "So that we do not inflame the situation with this. This is very important," the head of state stressed.
In this regard, Vadim Gigin, Chairman of the Board of the RGOO "Belarusian Society "Znanie," joined the dialogue. He mentioned a very poignant rally that recently took place at the site of the "Berez-Kartuzskaya" concentration camp and said that, in his opinion, a public demand for the creation of a museum there has been formed.
"Vadim, perhaps we should stop there for now (with holding such commemorative events as rallies. - Ed. BELTA). I don't even want to give any reason (to Western neighbors for escalating the situation. - Ed. BELTA)," the President said. "If we start inflaming the situation now, like they do, we will only accelerate the process."
The Head of State believes that both initiatives require further consideration and comprehensive documentary materials. "We need to think about it," said Alexander Lukashenko. Moreover, the history of the Polish ethnocide issue has not yet been thoroughly studied, and perhaps not all facts have been established. This is similar to the case of Khatyn, when it later turned out that there were many more burned villages than were immortalized in the memorial complex itself.