Dear Belarusians and Russians,

There are many glorious dates in the history of our two countries. But the Unity Day of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia has acquired a special significance these days. It is a symbol of our brotherhood and intellectual kinship, sincere friendship and mutual support, inextricable connection of the histories and cultural traditions, revival of the former ties and development of comprehensive cooperation.

This holiday of integration was born in travails, and our peoples embraced it with all their hearts after suffering a geopolitical catastrophe of the century – the disintegration of the great state that used to be one of the centres of the bipolar world, contributing to stability on the planet. There is an objective need for uniting efforts and interacting in the fields of politics, economy, social and humanitarian spheres because it is important for our countries to occupy a worthy place in the world community, to secure welfare and prosperity of our citizens.

This is the holiday of those constructive forces that have managed to overcome the massive external and internal pressure and lay the groundwork for unity in this new era. Today’s momentous date is a materialization of the hopes and aspirations of our peoples, an expression of their political will.

The process of integration has certainly been quite difficult. However, moving along this path, we have had a record of successful accomplishments and have passed some important milestones. We recently celebrated the 10^th anniversary of the signing of the Belarus-Russia Union State Treaty.

Over these years the Union State has implemented dozens of large-scale programmes, launched thousands of new enterprises, created millions of new jobs. And the main thing is the way we have been solving problems jointly, coordinating our activities in both the international and domestic markets.

The world financial and economic crisis has put our trade and economic relations to the serious test. However, due to the high level of mutual trust and understanding, active industrial cooperation between the companies of Belarus and Russia and close interregional ties we have been able, even in this difficult situation, to find solutions to the toughest issues.

Furthermore, it is the systemic and consistent work in implementing the Union State Treaty that has become the basis for the creation of the customs union of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan.

I am convinced that the deepening of the integration and the creation of a unified economic space will help us make our economies more competitive, ensure the sustainable development of our states and therefore a worthy life for our people.

Dear friends,

Cordially congratulating you on our common holiday, the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, I would like to point out that we are celebrating it in advance of the 65^th anniversary of the Great Victory. The harsh tests that befell the generation of the victors have proved the timeless wisdom: our strength is in our unity.

On this wonderful day I wholeheartedly wish you peace, happiness, health and optimism. May friendship and strategic partnership between our peoples and states grow stronger.