Putin congratulates Lukashenko on 20th anniversary of
signing Union State Treaty
Putin highly
appreciates progress reached between the two countries over the past years on
the path towards integration and cooperation.
MOSCOW, December 8.
/TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory telegram to
his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on occasion of the 20th
anniversary of signing the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia
and Belarus, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday.
"A historic
decision on signing this crucial agreement signaled mutual desire to strengthen
Russian-Belarusian relations based on the centuries-old traditions of fraternal
friendship, cultural and spiritual affinity," the Russian president
emphasized in his telegram.
Putin highly
appreciates progress reached between the two countries over the past years on
the path towards integration and cooperation, the coordination of efforts in
security and foreign policy, the intensive development of trade and economic
and interregional ties as well as the implementation of innovative scientific
and technical programs and large-scale humanitarian projects bankrolled from
the Union State’s budget, the telegram says.
The Russian leader
also noted in his message that Russians and Belarusians have equal
opportunities in choosing the place of residence, jobs and obtaining medical
and social assistance.
Putin highlighted the
importance of positive experience, which was gained as part of the Union State
and was actively used in a broader format of the Eurasian Economic Union, and
expressed confidence that the sides would advance mutually beneficial
integration processes and bilateral cooperation in all areas.
The presidents of
Russia and Belarus signed the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State on
December 8, 1999. The document entered into force on January 26, 2000. Russia
and Belarus are currently working on a program to boost integration, which
includes 31 roadmaps, 20 of which are ready for signing.
On December 7, Putin
and Lukashenko held an hours-long meeting in Sochi, which demonstrated that
there is fewer number of issues related to integration, which are yet to be
ironed out. The two presidents agreed to continue dialogue on December 20.
Source: ITAR-TASS
08-12-2019
