Putin celebrated the union between states on the Independence Day of Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the strength of the Russian-Belarusian alliance on Monday, congratulating his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on the day when Minsk celebrates independence.

“This holiday is of particular importance not only for Belarusians, but also for Russians, since we are connected by an important event in our common history — the liberation of Minsk from Nazi invaders,” Putin said in a note published on Monday on the portal. Kremlin official.

The head of the Russian state stressed that “fraternal friendship, tempered during the war years (1939-1945)” continues to be “the main pillar of relations” between the two “allied” countries: Russia and Belarus.

“This is fully confirmed today, when our countries together face very serious external threats and challenges,” he stressed.

Putin also said that the strengthening of the state union between the two countries will allow “to overcome any difficulties” and to defend the “legitimate” interests of Moscow and Minsk in the global context.

The Independence Day of Belarus is celebrated on the day when the army of Nazi Germany was defeated in Minsk by the Red Army of the former Soviet Union: July 3, 1944.

The date has been officially celebrated as Independence Day since 1996 after a referendum called by Lukashenka.

Earlier (since 1991) Independence Day was celebrated on July 27, the day of the unilateral declaration of the sovereignty of Belarus.

Dates for celebrating the country’s independence have not been agreed: opposition movements are suggesting August 25 because it marks the moment after the 1991 coup d’état in Moscow when Russia formally granted sovereignty to Belarus.