Dear friends,

The Belarusian people wholeheartedly congratulates you on the Youth Day!

It is great that this holiday gathers the International Youth Festival “Friendship-2004&rd quo; at this historic place of the unity of our three Slavonic peoples.

We are glad that the young generation, being the most educated and dynamic part of our society, follows the best traditions of the Soviet period. Spiritual kinship, brotherly friendship, meetings on off-days and weekdays must go on living and developing, despite borders and new contemporary challenges.

We are grateful to the festival organizers for having invited us, the presidents, to this youth forum. For we attach special importance to the developing of youth movements and their interaction.

Our countries look forward to the future. They are looking for their place in the world community faced with harsh competition, with globalization, which often evens out all around, with striving for unipolarity and uniformity.

Courage, will, unity of the people, powerful scientific and technological, and defence potential of the states are needed so that our Slavonic peoples could have the right to choose their own way of development. So that we could not be broken up, so that our youth could not be left without future.

We must not allow the richest culture of the original Slavonic civilization to fade away under the pressure of foreign ill spiritual substitutes. We have our own esthetic values, moral ideals, our own heroes.

From history we have learned that when Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians and other peoples combined their efforts, success was guaranteed. A proof hereof is the Great Victory in the Second World War, when our peoples gave the planet the dearest gift - the possibility to live in democratic and free societies. When our peoples made incredible efforts to save humanity from the brown plague. The rising out of the ashes of the war-ravaged power has been another example of unity.

I want to say bluntly: we are pinning great hopes on the youth. That is why we are preparing it for life seriously and thoughtfully.

To achieve this aim, our countries have adopted targeted state programmes for the youth. Emphasis has been and will be placed on education, involvement of the youth into science and production.

Healthy way of life, of the youth above all else, is our special concern in our states - in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Our young people obtain worthy results in international sports competitions, arts festivals, various science Olympiads. And they gain victories.

The youth of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus holds sacred the memory of the outstanding feat of our peoples who defeated fascism together. And we greatly appreciate the active participation of the youth in the life of our states.

Dear friends,

May your festival be lined with success. May the feeling of youth, intellectual and physical beauty never abandon you. May our Slavonic world grow richer and more beautiful!

I cordially wish you, your nearest and dearest, your children, good health and happiness. Happy holiday to you!

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