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Putin lauds Soviet republics for contribution to space exploration

The head of state emphasized that now Russia and Belarus continue this joint work

MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. The USSR made great contributions to the advancement of space exploration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting in the Kremlin with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and Belarusian cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya, who recently returned from the ISS.

"Today is a holiday - Cosmonautics Day. It is the day when we celebrate the achievements of the Soviet Union, which means the combined achievements of all the republics of the former Soviet Union. We did a lot together then," Putin said.

He emphasized that now Russia and Belarus continue this joint work. "And the fact that the first Belarusian cosmonaut flew into space is just another manifestation of our joint activities. Of course, [our] activity is not limited to this," the Russian president said.

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