The message reads, in part:
“Through your many years of leadership as head of state, you have earned sincere respect of both Belarusian and Russian citizens. Your personal contribution to strengthening friendly relations and expanding multifaceted cooperation between our nations, as well as to defending the shared legitimate interests of Moscow and Minsk on the international stage, is difficult to overestimate.
I deeply value our close and comradely relations, which enable us to engage in open and thorough discussions on the most complex issues and to make balanced, forward-looking decisions that fully serve the interests of the fraternal peoples of Russia and Belarus. We will, of course, continue our constructive and substantive dialogue and our close joint efforts to further boost bilateral cooperation in all areas, reinforce the institutions of the Union State, and advance mutually beneficial integration processes across the Eurasian space.”