Minsk, Belarus - The Belarus Peace Fund held a Peace Rally on June 1 at the Stalin's Line historical complex near Minsk. The program, co-organized by the Universal Peace Federation, commemorated the 65th anniversary of the victory in World War II in Belarus.

The program was attended by representatives of peace NGOs around Belarus and World War II veterans. They were brought by buses from all the regions of the country. A leader of the Belarus Youth Movement, the head of UN office in Minsk, a member of Parliament, and a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church were guests at the program along with diplomats and military officers.

The keynote address was given by a World War II veteran Mr. Marat Egorov, Chairman of the Belarus Peace Fund. The participants adopted a Call for Peace that was presented to the UN representative.

The event concluded with a concert organized by the Military Choir of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Stalin`s Line was a chain of defensive installations built in the late 1930s along the former USSR border from the Karelian Isthmus in the north to the shores of Black Sea in the south. Four were located in Belarus. A memorial to the defenders against the June 1941 Nazi attacks was dedicated in June 2005.

For the keynote address and more information about the peace tour, click here.