MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians have the same historic roots, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during the ceremony of awarding of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - Russia’s highest state award - in the Moscow Kremlin.

"For our country, Russia will always be more than just a neighboring state. We have the same historic roots, the same traditions, the same values, intertwined with innumerate common human relationships. We - Belarusians, Ukrainians, Russians - we grow from the same root. Our tree grows from the same root," Lukashenko said.

According to the president, preservation of its basis is the main achievement of Belarus and Russia.

"Today, this basis lies in the foundation of the huge potential of our cooperation. That said, we have the foundation that we can use to build even deeper relations between our states," Lukashenko underscored.