MINSK, December 8. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has sent congratulatory messages to the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on occasion of the 25th anniversary marked by the alliance of former Soviet countries on Thursday, the presidential press service said.

"Over a quarter of the century, based on the principles of respect for national priorities and freedom of the will of the member-states, the Commonwealth has been formed as a modern regional community taking into account the interests of all sides," Lukashenko said.

The signing of the agreement on establishing the CIS on December 8, 1991 became a starting point for the integration processes in the post-Soviet space. The president stressed that on September 16, 2016 a conceptual decision was made on adapting the CIS to the modern realities defining the further ways of its development.

Lukashenko expressed confidence that this will "strengthen the authority of the Commonwealth making it a more popular and vital alliance."

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) consists of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Ukraine and Turkmenistan are the associate states.