22 June 2007
Leaders of Belarusian fund receive Germany's state awards
Martin Hecker, the German ambassador to Belarus, on Friday presented his country's state awards to the chairman and the deputy chairman of Understanding and Reconciliation Fund.
The Belarusian organization has helped arrange compensation payments for former Nazi slave laborers and death camp prisoners resident in Belarus and other ex-Soviet countries.
Valyantsin Herasimaw, chairman of the fund, and Deputy Chairman Kanstantsin Prakharenka were awarded orders honoring their services to Germany, the Minsk-based German embassy's press office said.
The press office said that the awards were meant to express Germany's "gratitude not only for the distribution of individual compensation payments, which were paid out under the most thorough and reliable leadership, but also for active participation in the implementation of projects on providing humanitarian aid to victims."
"Messrs. Herasimaw and Prakharenka viewed the payment of compensation not only as a technical project, but more as a contribution to the cause of reconciliation between Germany and the Republic of Belarus," the press office said. "Thus, their activity contributing to the development of German-Belarusian cooperation deserves high recognition."// BelaPAN
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news1260.html