MOSCOW, 30 June (BelTA) – Belarus-Russia interaction in the sphere of high technologies is particularly pertinent now. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement during the plenary session of the fourth Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia on 30 June, BelTA has learned.
Alexander Lukashenko said: “The previous forums focused on matters of agriculture, production sector, and social policy. Today we are moving on towards a new technological age. Cooperation in the spheres of high technologies and information society is particularly pertinent today. If we fall behind, we will be doomed to stay behind. Nothing will save us then, including the potential and hydrocarbons, because you can see in what direction and how fast the entire world is developing.”
The head of state underlined that serious attention is paid to these matters in Belarus. “The development of the production sector, which generates 25% of the country's GDP, is one of the main priorities of the Belarusian economy. High-tech and science-intensive industries account for more than one third of the GDP,” noted Alexander Lukashenko. “Suffice it to say that three years ago — good timing, I guess — we set out to achieve an ambitious goal concerning the innovation-driven development of Belarus. We can see now that we did the right thing. But when we looked at international experience, we cried since we are already falling behind developed economies.” In his words, it is necessary to bridge the gap now.
A government program was adopted in January 2017 to guide Belarus' innovation-driven development till 2020. The program lists 75 projects for setting up new manufacturing enterprises. The program is supposed to ensure quality growth and the competitive ability of the national economy while concentrating resources on forming high-tech sectors. “I think that respected research institutions of Russia will always be able to find attractive avenues of cooperation with Belarusian colleagues,” said the president. “I am convinced that it will be easier for our countries with their unique opportunities and cooperation experience to take a confident step into the future in order to worthily compete on the global market.”
Alexander Lukashenko added that information is the key resource in the modern age. In his words, the phrasing “who owns information owns the world” reflects today's reality in global politics, economy, and other aspects of humanity's life.
