April 2 is the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia

Today is the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia.

Aleksandr Lukashenko, Chairman of the Supreme State Council of the Union State and President of Belarus, has extended his congratulations.

"It's been 30 years. The Community, Union and the Union State are successive links of one chain, coordinated steps on our path to integration," the message reads. "The guiding principles of the Union State’s policy remain unchanged. We strive for peace and harmony, unity and progress, prosperity and social justice."

Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, addressing the participants of celebrations marking the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, stressed that the Union State of Russia and Belarus has become the driving force behind integration processes in the Eurasian space.

"It is no exaggeration to say that the Union State has become the driving force behind integration processes in the Eurasian space and, in many ways, serves as a benchmark for joint work in multilateral structures such as the CSTO, the Eurasian Economic Community, the CIS and the SCO," Vladimir Putin said.

As you may recall, on April 2, 1996, Belarus and Russia, based on historically rooted kinship between the Belarusian and Russian peoples and the will of both nations for further cooperation, signed the Treaty on the Establishment of the Community of Russia and Belarus.