Belarusian Security Council state secretary calls for 'cultivation' of national language
MINSK. March 25 (Interfax) - Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Stanislav Zas calls for promoting the use of the national language, but without its forcible cultivation.
"If we speak about protecting our identity, we should cultivate one of its foundations, language. Cultivate, promote, use. Of course, it's wrong to say that we will cultivate the Belarusian language. But [we should] make it popular, fashionable, especially among youth," Zas said in an interview with the Belarusian portal tut.by.
"It's a good thing that our young people are starting to use the Belarusian language in everyday communication, and we need to take this path to become stronger as a nation and as a people," he said.
Zas also said the Belarusian authorities "will not be afraid to popularize their language." "Not by using some administrative resources, some pressure. We need to incentivize, encourage, create conditions for the expansion of the use of the language," he said.
Zas said he believes that the Belarusian language should be used with regard for "the real needs of our people.' "If we encourage and cultivate the fashion for the Belarusian language, there will be a demand for education, business communication," he said.
The Belarusian Security Council state secretary said he is ready to support a "proactive," but not "forcible" position on the broadening of the use of the Belarusian language. "Not by means of orders. We need to start in the same information space, so that the media use the Belarusian language, for our songs, our art to be promoted. And for the people, children to consider our Belarusian national costume fashionable," Zas said.
Zas also said the non-state media do not have to fear "the tightening of crews" in regard of the adoption of an information security conception and officials should broaden their presence in the media space.
"We will be broadening the presence. There are currently restrictions on officials in the work with the mass media. Any official needs to coordinate his appearance in the media with their superiors, Why? It needs to be vice versa [...], officials should be encouraged for communication with the mass media and their presence in the information space," he said.