(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 29 - Russia and Belarus continue to actively cooperate on the international stage and to strengthen the Union State between the two countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. "We continue to actively cooperate on the international stage and strengthen the Union State," he said, according to TASS. Putin noted that the Council of Ministers of the Union State will meet shortly. He also mentioned the active engagement of Moscow and Minsk in all international forums, including the United Nations, the CIS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). "All of this, of course, will also be the focus of our attention today," he added. (ANSA).