The Chernobyl disaster has united Belarusians in their determination to preserve the affected regions. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at a rally-requiem on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl NPP accident, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The Chernobyl disaster has united Belarusians in their determination to preserve the affected regions. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at a rally-requiem on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl NPP accident, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"The Chernobyl accident changed the destinies of millions. For the Belarusian people, it became a national ecological, economic, and social disaster," noted the head of state.
According to him, over a third of all radioactive fallout covered almost a quarter of Belarus's territory – this is about a quarter of the forest fund, over a hundred deposits of raw materials and minerals, 265 thousand hectares of fertile land, and 340 industrial enterprises. The total damage amounted to almost 33 budgets of the republic in 1985. The scale of the consequences for people's health, as doctors say, is yet to be determined, the head of state noted.
"A terrible concept, 'exclusion zone,' entered our lives. We instantly learned that it was impossible to sow and harvest on this land, it was impossible to bring forest gifts home because they harbored danger, it was impossible to swim and fish in the rivers, and it was dangerous to live in the village then. In peacetime, we learned what the pain of losing our native land means," said Alexander Lukashenko. Life stopped in almost five hundred settlements, and over 300,000 people lost their homes, the President added.
He recalled that at one time, advice came from abroad to Belarus to lock up the part of the country affected by the Chernobyl NPP disaster. "But the Chernobyl disaster, on the contrary, united Belarusians in their determination to preserve this land, made us stronger. We remembered the lesson bequeathed by our fathers and grandfathers: never give up and never kneel! - declared the Belarusian leader. - That is why every spring, on these memorable days, I am always here."
"The Chernobyl disaster swept through my life like a bulldozer, just as it did for many people standing here (gathered at the memorial rally. - BELTA's note). Back then, you thought about yourselves, your fate, your future, while I had to think not only about you, but about the country, about a vast territory. And the hardest thing for me then was to make the decision that we would not leave. I did everything as a human being and as President to convince you that this beautiful land could not be abandoned," the Belarusian leader continued.
He is convinced that the passage of time has proven the correctness of the decision made then: "We made the right decision not to abandon these lands. And I am glad to meet today with the people I encountered a quarter of a century ago (they were young then, now some are over 80), and I am happy that they are alive. This is a symbol, an example (of the correctness. - BELTA's note) of that decision – yours and the President's."
"We will do everything to ensure that settlements (not only district centres, but also villages and agro-towns) are in such good condition," the head of state assured, citing Bragin as an example. Now, according to him, it is necessary to develop further. "People will live here, and they will live well. We will do our utmost for this," stressed Alexander Lukashenko.
"Even in the impoverished 90s, we found money to help affected people, for rehabilitation and construction of new houses for resettlement, for scientific research and construction of specialized medical centres, for the restoration of contaminated areas," he continued.
Five state Chernobyl programmes have already been implemented in Belarus. "By improving meadow lands, tidying up settlements, and creating modern infrastructure, we have been bringing back hectares to life, one by one. Today, we see that the number of settlements with radiation test levels exceeding the permissible limits is decreasing. But the main thing is that we produce agricultural products that can be consumed. People live here, families are created, children are born," said the President.
He noted significant achievements in the revival of Belarusian Polesia, but at the same time drew attention to the fact that there is still much work to be done. In particular, this concerns the development of a new program with an emphasis on creating enterprises and jobs in the affected regions. From this perspective, the President considers the agro-industrial complex and the forestry sector to be the most promising. "Time has chosen us to do everything to revive these lands. And you know that the development of the region, the creation of conditions for people to live and work have always been under my control, and it will always be so," stressed Alexander Lukashenko.
"I firmly know that together we can solve these tasks. We will do everything so that in the near future the trace of the man-made disaster remains only in historical chronicles and in the memory of the hero-liquidators," the Belarusian leader stated.