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

April 2 marks the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus. The day before, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, had a telephone conversation on the occasion of the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus, celebrated on April 2.

“The two leaders exchanged their best wishes on this occasion and discussed a number of current matters on the bilateral agenda and promoting integration within the Union State.

Vladimir Putin also updated his counterpart on the special military operation to protect Donbass and assessed the continuing talks between the Russian and Ukrainian representatives. Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed his support for the actions of the Russian Federation,” kremlin.ru reports.

On April 2, 1996, Presidents Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation and Aleksandr Lukashenko of the Republic of Belarus solemnly signed a Treaty on the Formation of the Community of Russia and Belarus in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

This document has rectified the commitment of both states and peoples to follow the path of closer bilateral links based on a common history, spiritual closeness and friendship. Exactly one year later, on April 2, 1997, the Agreement on the Creation of a Union was signed by the two Slavic states. The supreme body of the Treaty was the Supreme State Council whose members included the heads of state and government and the heads of parliamentary chambers of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. On December 8, 1999, Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus and the Action Plan of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on Implementation of Provisions of the Agreement on Creation of the Union State were signed.

At that time, it was a mere setting of tasks which still needed to be fulfilled. The 25 years that have passed since the Treaty was signed have proven that the project is not only viable; it is alive.

The Union Project has not only proven its relevance. The treaty framework formed within the Union Treaty (about 200 treaties were signed governing almost all key aspects of bilateral cooperation) contributed to strengthening of bilateral ties and was a major driver of activation of integration processes in the CIS space: many Russian-Belarusian developments have become a basis of documents drafted during the establishment of the Customs Union, Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and then the Eurasian Economic Community.

Though the event itself – the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus – has not been widely celebrated in recent years, a number of celebrations and ceremonial events are held, especially in the capitals of both states. These include academic conferences, festive concerts and mass celebrations.