MINSK, Belarus (AP) - Belarus' autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko marked his nation's independence day Wednesday by lamenting the event that brought it freedom: the 1991 demise of the Soviet Union.
"The collapse of the USSR was a geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century," Lukashenko told a gathering of several thousand people taking part in a parade and ceremony in the capital Minsk for Republic Day.
He proudly said that the Belarusian people had rejected the "advice of foreign consultants who pushed them toward shock therapy and liberal reforms."
Instead, he said, Belarus chose the "Belarusian model of ... constant improvement of the effectiveness of the state, strong social policy and the integration with Russia and the CIS," a loose alliance of former Soviet republics. He promised to boost the gross domestic product by more than a quarter by 2005.
Lukashenko has stifled dissent, cracked down on protesters and isolated his impoverished nation since his election in 1994, and Belarus' economy remains little reformed since communist days. He has sought a full merger with neighboring Russia, but Russian officials have appeared wary of taking on Belarus' soaring inflation, deep poverty and shortages of basic goods.
Wednesday's celebrations, which included a display of military might reminiscent of Soviet-era holidays, were marred by the detentions of four people by police.
Three members of the youth branch of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front were picked up while distributing leaflets at the Minsk event in support of well-known figures who have disappeared in Belarus in recent years. Opposition groups blame Lukashenko's administration for the disappearances, but he denies any involvement.
Also detained was the artist and opposition activist Ales Pushkin, who once dumped a wheelbarrow full of manure in front of Lukashenko's office. Police apparently were expecting him to stage another protest at Wednesday's celebrations.
Lukashenko moved the holiday to July 3 in 1996 and renamed it "Republic Day (Independence Day)." It also marks the anniversary of the 1945 end to Nazi occupation of then-Soviet Belarus.
Belarus, sandwiched between Russia and Poland, was a major battleground during World War II. The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people in the war, more than any other country.