Declaration of Baran of the Bike for Peace Ride 2008
“Bike for Peace and New Energies” Paris – Moscow – Beijing

On the last evening of our stay in Belarus, we- the participants of the Bike for Peace Ride declare:

We have come to know a country in which it’s citizens want peace. A country that has suffered among the worst from war and fascism. A country in which the slogan “No more war” is a vivid reality. We have made friends in Belarus with its people and with the country as a whole.

Fourtyseven Russians and Byelorussians participate in the Bike for Peace Ride, some completing the full distance. This was helped made possible by the support of the Byelorussian embassy in Berlin and the German embassy in Minsk.

The agreement from both sides to issue visas for no charge helped make the meeting of peoples from different nations easier in itself a contribution to peace and common understanding. We would like to express our gratitude towards the embassies and hope that this action becomes normaliser . We want communications between our countries governments to focus on making visa processes more straightforward ultimately obsolete between all people.

We ask for more freedom and democracy – in all the countries we come from: the European Union, BelarusRussia. In this process, every country must be able to aid itself, without reliability on outside or intervention. Also threats, or even the use of violence must disappear from international relations as democracy can only grow in a peaceful environment. and for

Arms and international sanctions create more tension and we demand worldwide disarmament, especially the cancelling of new missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.

We are certain that cooperation in the renewable energies sector in the face of an imminent climatic catastrophe is well suited for easing up international tentions and promoting prosperity and advance. By decreasing the worlds military budget, the necessary funds for dealing with global problems would become available: hunger and suffering could be reduced and steps taken towards dealing with climate change can be put in force. The expansion of renewable energies would decrease dependency on fossil and nuclear energy sources.

Bike for Peace Ride we aims to improve relations between our countries.

The organisation will also be happy to come together in 2009 to travel across Europe on bike. Furthermore we would be glad to hear that the Byelorussian government will also give us their kind support for next year.

No more war – No more fascism – Making peace without weapons

Baran, Belarus, 20 July 2008
The participants of the Bike for Peace Ride 2008