Lukashenko presented bouquet of 'Slavic unity' at Vitebsk festival opening

At the opening of the festival in Vitebsk, a 1995 archival footage was shown on the screen of the Summer Amphitheater, where Alexander Lukashenko announced his patronage of the Vitebsk International Festival of Arts. Festival host Elena Spiridovich said: "Back in 1995, we presented you with a symbolic gift for your decisive contribution to the fate of the international forum. Then it was just one cornflower, but today it is an entire bouquet of 'Slavic unity'. In it, 35 cornflowers have bloomed—exactly as many as the festival's age!"