Stanislau Shushkevich becomes Commander (Photo)
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11:41, — Politics
Stanislau Shushkevich, the first leader of independent Belarus, has been awarded with Lithuania’s highest state order, the Commander's Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great.
The solemn ceremony was held at the President’s Palace in Vilnius on June 6. President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite awarded the Cross of Commander to Stanislau Shushkevich and thanked him for active support of Lithuania’s independence in 1991.
”You offer us yet another opportunity to put ourselves and our civic mind to the test of time. Your example makes us raise our standards higher and higher,” Dalia Grybauskaite said at the awarding ceremony. “It is only through the promotion of democratic values and creative potential that Lithuania reveals itself as an open, modern and tolerant state. I extend my greetings to you all on Statehood Day and the 600th Anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald. I wish you courage, resolve and lasting enthusiasm.”
Stanislau Shushkevich was accompanied by his wife Iryna Shushkevich, candidate for the Belarusian presidency Andrei Sannikov and his wife Iryna Khalip, deputy head of the Central Council of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada Svyatlana Hubeika.
Shushkevich arrived in Lithuania the evening before the ceremony. He didn’t manage to have a rest, because Lithuanian journalists were besieging his hotel room asking to give an interview. Most of them stared interview with the words “We understand you have many awards, but what does this particular order mean for you?” and refused to believe when Shushkevich told it was the first award in his life.
What does the companion of the Cross of Commander of the Order of Vytautas the Great feel?
“I am proud to have the highest state award of Lithuania. I happened to be here in the most difficult moments for the country. For example, when the TV Tower in Vilnius was taken in 1990 and the parliament was under a threat of dissolving the parliament. The Lithuanians opened my eyes to the essence of the Soviet regime, I understood many things due to the actions of Lithuanian politicians, their struggle for independence.
I hope Belarus will choose this way. Of course, the Belarusian society was damaged by the enforced communism more than the Lithuanian one. I am sure our country will become a free, independent, democratic state and find a decent place in Europe. The presidential elections are coming up. This is the beginning of a turning point, changing the way. If we elect a wise president, the transit period to a decent life will be short,” Stanislau Shushkevich told in an interview to charter97.org after the ceremony.
Stanislau Shushkevich and Dalia Grybauskaite
Stanislau Shushkevich with his wife Iryna, President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, and leader of European Belarus campaign Andrei Sannikov
Stanislau Shushkevich with his wife Iryna, President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, and Andrei Sannikov’s wife Iryna Khalip
Svyatlana Hubeika, Iryna Shushkevich, Dalia Grybauskaite, Stanislau Shushkevich, Iryna Khalip, and Andrei Sannikov
Commander Stanislau Shushkevich
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