The Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany was presented to the member of the Coordination Council presidium, Nobel laureate Svetlana Aleksievich by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The solemn ceremony was held today in Berlin at the official residence of the head of state – Bellevue Palace.
In his congratulatory speech, Steinmeier touched upon the topic of peaceful protests in Belarus:
– This peaceful, bold, and still brutally suppressed aspiration for the future has a woman’s face, said the head of the state.
In her response, Svetlana Aleksievich said that today it is necessary to work with those Belarusians who still support the current government:
– I need to explain my story. It is necessary to explain that we have become a nation, said the writer.
The Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany was established in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1951. The award is presented by the head of state.
