Visit to Israel, Palestine

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko paid a visit to the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority on 4-7 January 2000. The main purpose of the trip was to participate in the celebrations dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of Christianity. The Belarus president also held meetings with the leaders of a number of states, visited memorial places, met with veterans of the Great Patriotic War - natives of Belarus. Aleksandr Lukashenko took part in a ceremony to open the International Center for Cultural and Business Relations Israel-Belarus in the City of Ashdod.

In Bethlehem, the Belarus president attended a solemn liturgy held on 7 January in the Church of the Nativity erected over the spot where the Savior was born.

One of the important events of the visit was a ceremony to honor the heads of churches and the heads of state with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the highest award of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Accepting the award in Jerusalem, the president stressed that Belarus would continue to do everything to promote peace and accord. Upon returning to Minsk, Aleksandr Lukashenko handed over his order to the entire Belarusian people during the festive service in Holy Spirit Cathedral.