MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) – Chairman of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko sent the Day of Unity greetings to all the Belarusian and Russian people on 2 April, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service.

According to the message of greetings: “The Day of Unity is a holiday which symbolizes a common civilized choice for Belarus and Russia, the connection of history, modern time and the future. It is a symbol of history because our peoples are connected by the age-old bonds of friendship and mutual help. It pertains to modern time because in the modern time, in the 1990s, our countries made a decision to join efforts for the sake of mutual development. As for the future, the Union State project aims to promote social and economic progress, ensure the growth of wellbeing of the Belarusian and Russian people.”

The President stressed that this year we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Union State Treaty. During this period we have shaped the legal framework of cooperation which allows us to be a success in virtually all areas. We have created conditions for the realization of the principle of equality of social and economic rights of citizens of the two countries. Comprehensive Belarus-Russia cooperation in the foreign and defense policies has become a guarantee of stability on the regional and global arena.

Alexander Lukashenko is confident that the Union State is by right considered an example and a foundation of integration processes in the post-Soviet space. “Present-day challenges charge us with a large-scale task to promote integration. And our main objective is to do our best to prevent the Union State, the Customs Union, the Single Economic Space and the future Eurasian Economic Union from duplicating each other. They should complement each other by putting into life the advantages of all-round cooperation,” the head of state noted.

According to the Belarusian leader, soon we will mark the sacred date for Belarus, namely the 70th anniversary of liberation from Nazi invasion. Our country which lost one third of its population during World War II but never gave up like nobody else treasures the importance of peaceful development for the wellbeing of the nation and the entire mankind. “During that war Belarusians, Russians and other fraternal peoples accomplished a feat at the front and in the rear and paid an incredible price for the sake of victory. And today we cherish the legacy of the generation of victors, work together, ensure progressive development of our economies, guarantee high living standards for all people,” the message of greetings runs.

“Belarusian-Russian relations have stood the test of time. Equality, mutual respect, friendship and care of the interests of each other are the fundamental principles of bilateral long-term cooperation. Our relations develop and become stronger,” Alexander Lukashenko underlined.