The President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, addressed a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

Axar.az presents the text of the letter:

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu!

I sincerely congratulate you and all Azerbaijanis on the occasion of the national holiday - Independence Day, on behalf of the people of Belarus and on my own behalf.

You welcome this holiday at a time when the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev, the genius and wise politician, the founder and national leader of modern Azerbaijan, is widely celebrated.

The dynamically developing economy of your country, its key role in the region, and its growing influence in the international world are indisputable proof of the correctness of the creative course aimed at building a strong, sovereign state, which was founded by your father and successfully continued by you.

I am sure that the strategic partnership of Minsk and Baku, based on mutual interests and traditional reliable friendly relations, will continue to be strengthened and enriched in new forms and directions.

Dear Ilham Heydar oghlu, I sincerely wish you and your family good health, prosperity, peace and progress to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.