Your Eminence,
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Leonid Danilovich,
Esteemed comrades,
In every nation's history there are events that must not be erased from memory.
Belarus will remember Khatyn forever.
The village of Khatyn was burnt together with its inhabitants. That story is well known to every Soviet person and every citizen of the CIS participating states.
Tragic fate befell hundreds of other population centers of our country. Belarusians, Russians, Jews, Ukrainians…perished in places similar to Khatyn.
Here, on the territory of the Memorial, a symbolic burial was arranged for the Belarusian villages and settlements that had been totally destroyed.
Khatyn is an unhealed wound in the heart of our Motherland.
When this Memorial was being built, it was believed that every fourth citizen had perished in the war. But we know that the number of peaceful civilians who had perished and died of wounds is much greater. Every third citizen of Belarus had lost life. Every third had perished in that terrible war.
The Nazis had plans to exterminate our people, to “clean up a living space” for themselves on our land.
The peaceful inhabitants of Khatyn sacrificed themselves to shield us, to save the future generations.
A story sad to tell, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union this sacred place imprinted in our memories was falling into decay.
Turned awful was the corrosion and lies of nationalism, which were eroding the remembrance of the feat and sacrifices of our people.
But the Belarusian people had its say, it was firmly said: the remembrance of the feat and sacrifices is sacred and inviolable!
By the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus, we, the grateful descendants, have completely restored this Memorial at Khatyn, a place of sorrow and veneration for every Belarusian, for every honest person…
(See Russian version of the site for the full text of the Address) | 
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