In his message, the President said that the Union State’s creation was a historic event for both peoples. In this act, Russia and Belarus chose the path of closer integration so as to work together to ensure their countries’ stability and security and bring prosperity and wellbeing to their peoples.
Mr Putin said it was pleasing to see that these integration efforts are bringing more tangible results, trade and economic ties are growing faster, the two countries coordinate their foreign and defence policies, interregional ties are growing, and the experience the Union State has built up has been useful in carrying out the Eurasian Economic Union project, which is now entering its final phase of preparation.
Mr Putin said he is sure that continued efforts to intensify Russian-Belarusian cooperation and speed up mutually advantageous integration processes are in the fundamental interests of both fraternal peoples.