MINSK, July 02. /ITAR-TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that Belarusians would fight shoulder to shoulder with Russians if such a need arose.

“If need be, we will stand back to back to defend ourselves and fight off as we did in the past,” he said at the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders.

He said Putin’s participation in the celebrations was symbolic. “We appreciate your arrival in these festive days. We lived through hard times but after all hardships the victory was welcome and it was a common victory,” he said.

Lukashenko believes that Putin’s presence at the celebrations “symbolises our unity and indicates that we were together and will be together forever”.

He thanked Putin for the help and support Russia was providing to Belarus and its economy. “We remember this and believe me, Russia and Belarus will gradually get out of this global crisis, and I am confident that we will stand tall and our economies will become even stronger,” Lukashenko said.