Photo: archive of the Presidential Office of Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko recalled that when he came to the opening of this temple in 2020, local parishioners invited him to visit this temple once again. "I promised, that's why I came to visit you today. I have come to congratulate you all and all our Belarusians, our guests, all those who hear me, on behalf of myself from this bright and lovely temple on the most beautiful holiday - Christmas," the President said.
According to tradition, the head of state lit a Christmas candle in the church and spoke with representatives of the clergy and parishioners. Lukashenko noted that the country has important secular holidays such as Victory Day, Independence Day, as well as spiritual holidays such as Christmas or Easter. "They have passed through the years, they are in our minds, in our hearts. And as time has shown, it is impossible to erase them from us. That is why they are great," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Alexander Lukashenko stated that another year has passed and all the years of the current five-year period, starting from 2020, have not been easy. "But the Lord has probably protected and preserved us. We managed to pass these years peacefully. And then, when we opened this temple with you, you asked for only one thing, as if you foresaw that these would be difficult years: that peace would reign in our country. Everything else we are able to create in our country with our own minds and our own hands. And so it has happened. For now. God willing, it will continue to be so," the head of state said.
"From the year of peace and creation (without peace there can be no creation) we are moving into the year of quality. It is necessary to fill this peaceful, calm Belarusian life on this small island where we live today with high quality. We need people to be happy. To wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, to put their children to bed, to make people happy, to make them proud of their lives."
"It's trite, but you'll agree with me: it's all up to us. It's up to us! Of course it's up to me, but without you, a good life is impossible. That's why we need to add quality to this calm, balanced and creative life. And then everything will be fine," the President is convinced.
Alexander Lukashenko noted that he often puts only one main task before the government: 'Give me the economy, the rest is up to me.' The same applies to development at the regional level.
"That's why we have to make every effort not only to produce goods (and the economy is about production and sales), but to do it well. To make our goods even better to buy than they are today," the President summed up.
The Head of State noted that it is necessary to spend the coming year with dignity and to show that the Belarusian people are the masters of their country.
"We are on the threshold of a generational change, when everything that has been done, whether bad or good (we cannot even judge that), will have to be passed on to the younger generation - our children," the President said. "This year will be very difficult. They will be training us. And we have to stand up. They will be training us for future presidential elections. And we have to pay special attention to young people who have not experienced hard times, both in the Soviet period and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They have not experienced what the middle and older generations have experienced. We need to tell them about it, we need to show them so that they can appreciate what we have earned through our work."
"We must do everything we can to spend this year with dignity and make a worthy statement as we approach the main event. We, the Belarusian people, who have suffered and are suffering in their history, have the right to live according to our own laws," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Alexander Lukashenko promised to do everything to preserve the village, without which there will be no state.
"Back in this village temple, I want to say two words about the village. You can see that we are doing a lot to preserve the village in these difficult times," the president said.
He stressed that states that destroyed the village have no future. "If we lose the village, we will lose the state. It will simply not exist. That is why I promise you that as a person who grew up in a village, who knows the life of a rural person, the hardships and difficulties, I will do everything to preserve our village. So that the village - the breadwinner of our people, the basis of our state - will be strong, powerful and prosperous," Alexander Lukashenko assured.
"That doesn't mean we forget about the cities - it's about the industry. Without it, even a village cannot develop. We will do everything we can to develop our economy. We have everything for it, despite the difficult times," the Belarusian leader stressed.
president.gov.by/gn.cz/JaV_07
https://president.gov.by/ru/events/poseshchenie-hrama-svyatogo-proroka-ioanna-predtechi
English 
Czech