NEWS
Belarus Premier names IT development a priority
 The development of information and telecommunication technologies is a priority of the social and economic development of Belarus, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said when he met with Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union Hamadoun Toure on April 21. According to Sergei Sidorsky, the Belarusian government does its best to make the industry cutting-edge. Relevant state programmes, which are necessary for building a people-oriented economy, are implemented in the country.
The computer centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has built a supercomputer, which is used for implementing social and economic projects both in Belarus and Russia. A High-Tech Park is operational, with resident companies enjoying unprecedented preferences. In the next three years an investment project worth over $500 million will be implemented there with the participation of a South African company. A major information analysis centre will be built to take a decent position in the CIS and Europe.
Belarus has been a member of the International Telecommunication Union since 1947. “In our country all the necessary measures are taken to represent Belarus in the Union in a worthy manner,” underlined the Prime Minister. In his opinion, the visit of the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union to Minsk will further promote Belarus’ cooperation with this organisation.
Sergei Sidorsky also noted, Belarus intends to take an active part in the future African summit on the development of communication technologies. He also said such a summit may be held in Belarus in the future.
On April 21 Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky and Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union Hamadoun Toure signed a joint cooperation statement in Minsk.
According to the Secretary General, the cooperation will develop along three major avenues, with information and communication technologies as one of them. Hamadoun Toure noted Belarus’ positive achievements in this area and said the country’s ambitious plans concerning the development of information technologies will be implemented by 2010. Besides, plans for cooperation in IT security have been shaped. Cyber space should be peaceful and international cooperation should play an important role in it, said Hamadoun Toure. He also highly evaluated the training of Belarusian IT specialists. Apart from that there is potential for collaboration in preventing emergencies and global catastrophes.
Belarus-Nizhniy Novgorod oblast links reach higher level
Belarus and the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast reached a higher level in the mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation, Andrei Kobyakov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, stated at the fourth session of the Business Cooperation Council of Belarus and the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast in Mogilev on April 21.
The two sides set up joint ventures, expand cooperation between companies, strengthen collaboration at the interregional level, Andrei Kobyakov said. In 2007, the trade between Belarus and the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast grew 1.4 times up to $600 million.
According to him, there is a need of new relations and non-standard approaches to preserve high trade growth. Andrei Kobyakov cited as an example the companies Mogilevliftmash and Transenergo of the joint venture Nizhegorodliftmash (the town of Kstovo, the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast). The company has already produced more than 20 new lifts.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus considers necessary to evolve interaction between the companies of Belarus and the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast in modernization of partner companies and expansion and strengthening of twinned links between the towns and regions. “We count that the creation of trade logistics centers, retail centers, a merchandise network of the Belarusian companies in the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast will contribute to the full provision of the region’s market as well as the markets of the neighbouring regions of the Russian Federation,” the Vice-Premier underlined.
Andrei Kobyakov noted that alongside economy the two sides develop close cooperation in the area of exhibition activity, culture, education, sports and tourism.
“Direct interaction between the legislative power based on the agreement on cooperation signed by the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhniy Novgorod oblast on April 21 will become another form of our cooperation,” Andrei Kobyakov added.
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© 2005-2008 Staff of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus
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Information support from the Republican Unitary Enterprise Belarusian News Agency
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