MINSK, 8 May (BelTA – In the run-up to Victory Day Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sent his best greetings to the compatriots on this great and sacred holiday, BelTA learnt from the press service of the head of state.

“69 hardworking and heroic years separate us from the fireworks which were launched into the sky in 1945. But that spring will forever remain a symbol of unparalleled feat of our great grandfathers, grandfathers and fathers. The Great Patriotic War made history as a fierce confrontation between the two worlds and two ideologies – Humanism and Nazism. We will never forget that it was the peoples of the Soviet Union who made a decisive contribution to the defeat of Hitler’s Germany,” the message reads.

“No sufferings and hardships could break the fighting spirit of Soviet people. Soldiers at the front, in irregular forces, underground movement and at the home front fought against the enemy courageously and selflessly. They won! They defended the country, rebuilt it from ruins and ashes, and developed cutting-edge science and rich culture. Their achievements are the foundation that our sovereign state relies on,” the President said.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that these days the entire Belarus is honoring and paying tribute to the heroes of Victory. “We are enormously grateful to you, dear veterans, and we treasure your main precept: to love the Fatherland, protect its interests and always be together, close-knit and united, in order to prevent attempts to humiliate Belarusians, subjugate them to the hostile will. The Belarusian nation is the nation of victors. This feeling is the source of our pride and strength,” the head of state said.

The President wished all compatriots strong health, labor achievements, happiness, wellbeing, clear and peaceful skies over the head.