President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented state awards to 30 women from various fields of activity and regions of the country. The solemn ceremony, traditionally timed to coincide with the March 8 holiday, took place on March 10 at the Palace of Independence, a BELTA correspondent reports.
On this day, as the head of state noted, the State Awards Hall was filled with an amazing atmosphere of spring, beauty, and joy. The President explained that several dates were considered for holding the ceremony, but to extend the celebration for women, it was decided to hold it on March 10.
"You embody our country - our beloved Belarus. Beautiful, talented, intelligent, striving for a bright future, where normal, traditional relationships, especially family ones, are unshakable. And children are sacred to us," Alexander Lukashenko stated.
The vast majority of the women present at the ceremony were awarded the highest honour - the Order of Motherhood. "You have given life and honourably raised five or more children. I bow to you because I know what it means to raise a child. It is a real daily feat," the President emphasized. "Sleepless nights, endless worries, with and without reason. Immense pride when sons take the military oath. And boundless joy when you see your daughters in wedding dresses. And then grandchildren come into your life, and it turns out that a mother's heart has not run dry, but has simply entered a new, endless cycle of love, care, and tenderness. And for this, we men are, above all, grateful to you."
The President presented the Order of Motherhood to 21 representatives from all regions and Minsk. Among them are Tatyana Vabishchevich, leading design engineer of the engineering networks and communications group of the "Stolinstroyproekt" branch of the "Breststroyproekt Institute" enterprise; Dina Filimonova, teacher-defectologist at the Ozerichinskaya basic school of the Pukhovichi district; and Valentina Guryanova, ophthalmologist at the outpatient clinic of the state institution "432nd Red Star Order Main Military Clinical Medical Center of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus."
The Head of State awarded the Order of Honour to Tatiana Yarets, a production training instructor at the Gomel State Agrarian-Technical College; the Order of Francysk Skaryna to Zinaida Zubkova, a leading stage master at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre; the Medal of Francysk Skaryna to Ekaterina Dulova, General Director of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, Natalia Karchevskaya, Rector of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, and Anna Blagova, a soloist of the wind orchestra of the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee.
In addition, honorary titles of Belarus were conferred. Alla Borchuk, a teacher of Belarusian language and literature at the Staroselskaya Secondary School of the Minsk District, and Tatiana Glyzdova, a teacher of Russian language and literature at Gymnasium No. 1 in Lida, became Honoured Workers of Education. Anzhela Bobariko, Director of the State Communal Unitary Enterprise "Capital Construction Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee", became an Honoured Builder. Anna Marusova, an athlete-instructor of the Belarusian national archery team of the Republican Centre for Olympic Training in Shooting Sports, became an Honoured Master of Sports.
At the end of the ceremony, the Head of State noted that beauty is very important for women: "Therefore, I wish you to always be beautiful, just like today, so that we, men, admire you. Happiness, success, and beauty to you!"