Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, on May 14, a creative meeting titled "Service to the Fatherland. Service to the Stage" was held in Minsk at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre. It was dedicated to the memory of senators of the first and second convocations, People's Artists of the USSR Nikolai Yeremenko and Rostislav Yankovsky. In its semantic content, this event became a true dialogue of eras. The meeting was attended by members of the Council of the Republic of all convocations — authors of key legislative bills, people who stood at the origins of the formation of the Belarusian Parliament, and bore responsibility for balanced state decisions. The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, Marat Markov, also took part in the event.

The creative meeting was opened by Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova. In November 1996, the people made their choice — amendments and additions were made to the Constitution through a nationwide referendum, according to which the Supreme Council was replaced by a bicameral Parliament — the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. Natalya Kochanova noted that over 30 years, serious work has been done:

— During the first convocation alone, 18 codes were adopted that determined the further development of our country. From the Civil and Criminal Codes to the Housing and Land Codes — the contours of a sovereign state were laid back then. For the first time, an Electoral Code appeared, uniting all six types of electoral procedures into a single mechanism. This was a necessary stage that turned the Parliament into a real instrument of state building.

According to the speaker of the Council of the Republic, a solid legislative foundation has been created in Belarus today, and all thanks to those people who worked for three decades in the Council of the Republic:

— They did everything so that we could live in such a wonderful country today. Belarusian parliamentarism has never been limited to legislative activity alone. Its essence lies in social responsibility and connection with the regions. For this purpose, the Council for Interaction with Local Self-Government Bodies was created as an effective tool for feedback between government representatives and the people.

An important stage in the activities of the Council of the Republic is associated with integration and the formation of legislation for the economy. Ratification of treaties on EurAsEC — the predecessor of the EAEU — and the establishment of the legal framework of the Union State and the CSTO.

— We were the first in the world to adopt the Code on Culture, which includes more than 60 normative legal acts of various levels, — added Natalya Kochanova. — At the same time, legislation on national security, counter-terrorism and counter-extremism was being modernized. New versions of laws on veterans and employment were adopted, targeted support for families with children was strengthened, and targeted training of young specialists was expanded — all of these are direct responses to the demands of citizens. And all of this is thanks to the work of the members of the Council of the Republic. The contribution of these people to the development of the country is invaluable.

According to Natalya Kochanova, this meeting opens a series of events dedicated to the work of members of the Council of the Republic of different convocations. It was decided to dedicate the first meeting to Nikolai Yeremenko and Rostislav Yankovsky, and the speaker of the Council of the Republic explained why:

— Both are People's Artists of the USSR, senators for whom honor, word, and deed were inseparable. They went through the war, worked for the good of our country, and supported our young President. Both Yeremenko and Yankovsky always lived with their people. Not above them. Not on the sidelines. But alongside — on stage, in the hall, in Parliament, in life. Therefore, we have no right to forget those people who stood at the origins of our statehood.

The program of the creative meeting was rich. Professional artists of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre performed memoirs about war and the Motherland, poems by Soviet poets, and songs by Pakhmutova, Vysotsky, and Magomayev. The meeting was attended by colleagues of Yeremenko and Yankovsky — Sergey Kovalchik, Alexander Efremov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Maria Zakharevich, and Zinaida Zubkova.

Minister of Culture Marat Markov thanked the speaker for starting the series of meetings specifically with cultural figures:

— Nikolai Yeremenko and Rostislav Yankovsky live among us today precisely because we remember them. They indeed went through enormous difficulties, but most importantly, they never betrayed their country. When you detach yourself from your land, your country, your people, nothing but hopelessness will remain in your life. That did not happen to these people. That is why we always speak of them.

The next meeting, according to the speaker, will be dedicated to women — members of the Council of the Republic.

Based on materials from "SB. Belarus Today"