President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented state awards to distinguished figures from various fields, mothers with many children, and general's epaulets to representatives of the highest officer and command staff. The solemn ceremony took place today at the Palace of Independence, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented state awards to distinguished figures from various fields, mothers with many children, and general's epaulets to representatives of the highest officer and command staff. The solemn ceremony took place today at the Palace of Independence, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

About forty people participated in the ceremony – representatives of the army and law enforcement agencies, as well as mothers with many children and women who have achieved great professional heights.

"I am sincerely proud of each of you, because I understand the immense effort required to achieve success in any field, be it production, medicine, education, art, or sports," the President addressed the attendees.

The Head of State noted that, by tradition, the majority of those awarded today are representatives of the fair sex, on whose delicate, and sometimes not so delicate, shoulders lie the cares of family and children in addition to their work. "At the same time, you still manage to teach, heal, grow bread, engage in high art, raise champions who bring glory to Belarus, and also keep an eye on us men, so that we don't stray from the path," he added.

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that from time immemorial, in any nation, in any culture, woman has been at the centre of creation. "Therefore, in our country, there is such a reverent attitude towards mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, as well as towards family, children, and simply loved ones. And this is one of the foundations, I would even say, a fundamental pillar of society. And we have cemented this foundation in the new Constitution of our country," stated Alexander Lukashenko.

"We have defended and will continue to defend our traditions, as we did by adopting the updated Constitution. We will cherish it just as we cherish the memory of our ancestors, our heroic history, and Slavic brotherhood. And this mission is impossible without men – in all senses. This sounds particularly relevant right now," the President pointed out.

Addressing the attendees, the Head of State noted: "To you, men, I say it plainly. There is no more honorable profession than defending the Fatherland, serving the country and your people." While presenting general's shoulder straps and awards, Alexander Lukashenko once again thanked the army and security forces for their service to the Motherland.

Having congratulated everyone on their well-deserved awards and titles, the Head of State once again thanked them for everything they do for the country and the people: "May there always be harmony in your families, order at work, and peace in your souls. May your children bring you joy, may your parents live long, long lives, and may luck and success accompany you in all things."

"We very much need this upcoming good, kind spring holiday in these trying times. Therefore, I wish our heroic half of society with fragile shoulders health, peace, and goodness," the President added.

The Head of State presented the Order of the Fatherland, II degree, to Olga Vlasova, head coach of the national trampoline team, and the Order of Labor Glory to Irina Leparskaya, head coach of the national rhythmic gymnastics team.

The Order "For Service to the Motherland", III degree, was awarded to Anatoly Dolgolevets, Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations, and Tadeusz Kursevich, Head of Aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Alexey Kharlamov, Deputy Commander for Ideological Work of a motorized rifle company of the 105th Separate Mechanized Battalion of the 11th Separate Mechanized Brigade, was awarded the Order "For Personal Courage".

Olga Ginko, Director of the Prozorky Kindergarten - Secondary School named after I.T. Buinitsky of the Glubokoye District, and Svetlana Puzinovskaya, an IT teacher at Secondary School No. 4 in Dzerzhinsk, were awarded the Order of Francysk Skaryna.

Yulia Bykova, author and performer of songs, soloist of the Aura group, and Tatyana Trofimova, chief ballet master of the Youth Estrada Theater, were awarded medals of Francysk Skaryna.

Honorary titles were awarded to employees of the internal affairs bodies, the Armed Forces, as well as representatives of the cultural sphere. Among them are Irina Zayanchkovskaya, leading stage master of the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theater; Vera Polyakova-Makey, drama actress - leading stage master of the Cinema Actor Studio Theater of the National Film Studio "Belarusfilm"; and Elena Yakubets, ballet dancer of the Belarusian State Academic Honored Choreographic Ensemble "Khoroshki".

For raising five or more children, Alexander Lukashenko presented the Order of Motherhood. Among those awarded were Olga Chernovskaya, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at Secondary School No. 7 in Vitebsk, and Marina Khodak, ballet dancer of the State Academic Dance Ensemble of Belarus.

Among those to whom the President presented general's epaulets were Alexander Shepelev, Head of the Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Alexander Bas, Deputy Commander of the Western Operational Command.

Prior to the ceremony, participants were offered an excursion around the Palace of Independence.

Source: belta.by