Stanislau Shushkevich: “WE had an open discussion of situation in Belarus with presidents of Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania”

The former chairman of the Supreme Council represented Belarus at the celebration of the 440th anniversary of the Union of Lublin.

We remind that Alyaksandr Lukashenka was not invited for the celebration where the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine took part. Stanislau Shushkevich, the former chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus and head of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada, told the Charter’97 press center about his visit to the neighbouring country.

– Mr Stanislau, how is the 440th anniversary of the Union of Lublin held?

– Well, I attended events where the presidents are invited, so I haven’t got to Lublin yet. The President of Poland invited me to Warsaw. Yesterday Lech Kaczynski and I flew to a military base near Lublin on his private plane. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus joined us there, and our VIP-company went to John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

We were met by the rector and vice rectors, high-ranking bishops. The first thing we did was opening a memorial plaque with the names of all honourable doctors of the University of Lublin.

– Did you, along with the presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, receive a title of an honourable doctor of the University of Lublin?

– Yes, I received the title yesterday. There were our names on the memorial plaque. I joked that it was a monument in our lifetime, but it has been done. By the way, it has been the fourth doctor’s title for me.

Polish professor Jerzy Kloczowski introduced me at the ceremony. I respect this man, who took part in the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto. The professor introduced me in such a way that I was near to cry. I am proud to have been in the same company with Joan Paul II, Valdas Adamkus, Viktor Yushchenko, and other respectful people. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the Roman Catholic Metropolitan of Minsk and Mahilou, Archbishop of Belarus was given a title of the honourable doctor of the Catholic University of Lublin three months ago.

– What did you talk about with the presidents of the Belarus’s neighbouring countries?

– I talked with all of them. We had a long conversation with Lech Kaczynski, Viktor Yushchenko, Valdas Adamkus. We had an open discussion of the situation in Belarus, but I the details are not for public. I van just say that Viktor Yushchenko and me arranged for a meeting in the nearest future.