Twenty years ago, on a posting to Ukraine, Belarus was this distant mysterious country lying to the north. My chief knowledge about Belarus was that it was badly affected by Chernobyl as the winds were blowing north at the time of the disaster. As I prepared to come here, I talked to people about Belarus and was encouraged to hear how positively people spoke about their experiences. In fact, two of my colleagues even fell in love here and married Belarusians. I arrived full of curiosity and anticipation and I have not been disappointed in what I have seen so far.
Day 11 in Minsk if I don’t count the day/evening of my arrival. Already it is becoming familiar, at least the geography of the city centre. I am without doubt seeing the city at its worst – at the height of winter, with snow/slush on the ground, trees bare and the sky grey. On the other hand, this allows one better sight of the city architecture, some of which is quite impressive indeed. Great care has been taken to restore what little could be restored at the end of the war, but many post-war buildings have facades with the kind of detail that makes them appear historic. I think the city will really come into its own in the spring, when all is fresh and green and full of blossom.
Day 1
I was rather the envy of the diplomatic corp to be able to present my credentials on Day 1. “Unprecedented” Foreign Minister Makei told me. I was told it would go down well if I spoke in Russian, so I told the President that I was pleased to be here and looked forward to working on issues that affected both our countries. He smiled and thanked me. After the ceremony was over, our gaggle of Ambassadors, or whatever you call a collection of Ambassadors, was shown the room where the Minsk Agreement had been signed, before we went back out into the snow and waiting cars.
Day 4
We hosted a first-ever Burns night last week to celebrate the great poet’s birthday on 25 January. I believe I was the only actual Scot there, but there were a couple of others with Celtic connections. We had a piper, haggis and all the toasts and it went down a treat, even if a number of guests were left somewhat baffled by the Scots dialect. It was a great opportunity to meet a few members of the British community and many of our local Belarusian contacts. I finished off the evening with a recital of “A Man’s A Man for A That”. The message of equality and brotherhood – or sisterhood – and how we should judge a person’s true worth, seemed an appropriate message to leave with.
Day 8
I also had a lot of fun at the British Belarus Chamber of Commerce monthly gathering on Monday evening. A most welcoming group and a range of business interests represented. I look forward to attending more meetings at the Malt and Hops and getting to know more about the business environment here.
Day 6
I spent my first weekend going for a walk in the centre, which took in some of the city’s war memorials – the memorial to the Second World War, Victory Square, and the memorial at the “pit” where 5000 Jews were rounded up from the ghetto and murdered by the Nazis. I am not sure what the right word is, but it is certainly humbling to think how the people of this country have come through such times of suffering and how resilient they must be.
Day 7
It was wonderful to end the weekend attending a karaoke singing competition for disadvantaged yet supremely talented children. The excitement and pride on their faces, and the love and care shown by the organising charities, was an inspiring way to start the new week.
