Belarusian president calls to invest ICTs

Author: Mikhail Doroshevich

28/11/2009

Speaking at the special meeting of the "CIS Connect Summit" President of Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has called the CIS countries to cooperate in the sphere of informational technologies. "We should determine common directions of informational society development for the next years and create mechanisms of it's realization".

"I'm convinced that if know and understand each other, if we share our experience, we can significantly lower development and implementation costs for innovations in this important sphere"

The head of the state also noted that today everyone is interested in increasing effectiveness of cooperation when dealing with cybercrimes and with avoiding and dealing with consequences of natural and technological catastrophes.

"CIS countries could make a valuable contribution to creation and development of according international contacts if they had highly organized systems of resistance to these challenges", - Alexander Lukashenko added.

He also considers it very important to form and accept on an international level a common list of most basic or socially important electronic services.

"We also propose the creation of international system of monitoring of functioning and development of informational society on the basis of uniform indicators", - Alexander Lukashenko stressed. Priority will be given to indicators of quality and quantity of electronic services granted which are available price- and territory-wise to all citizens.

Discussing the perspectives of creating strategic partnership instruments in the sphere of informational technologies with participation of executive authorities and business groups from different countries as well as international organizations is also considered timely.

The president thinks that increasing informational and other high technologies' share in GNP is a primary task for all CIS countries. However, it's success impossible without additional investments.

In this situation, a good opportunity to discuss problems of finding additional resources for informational technology projects realization is presented by a Minsk forum of the global initiative "Connect the world".

Mutually beneficial partnership will not only allow us to solve national problems of building the informational society effectively, but will also give the opportunity to every CIS state to find it's specialization on a global informational technology market.

Alexander Lukashenko expressed his confidence in that Minsk forum's work will result in specific common projects which will contribute to a creation of a modern and accessible informational society on CIS territory.

"We are open for a mutually beneficial collaboration in realization of perspective projects in the sphere of informational and communicational technologies, - the president stressed. - Facilities were created which allow for the investments of capital".

The president also added: "I think we can be satisfied by being in the International telecommunications union, which was, and remains to us, an instrument of interaction with governments and business groups of different countries for leading projects that demand substantial investments",

While speaking on the Summit, Alexander Lukashenko announced that Belarus had accumulated a significant experience of informational technologies adoption. "When we refused "shock" reforms we were able to save high scientific and industrial potential inherent to Belarus", - the president stressed.

He also noted that the Summit being in Minsk also indicates acknowledgment of our country's achievements in the sphere of informational technologies and Belarus' active role in integrational processes on the post-soviet space.

"Currency of today's forum is without doubt. Dynamic development of informational technologies and their introduction into everyday life became an integral part of every state of the world's development", - the president said.

But by his words, in the modern state of economical crisis there exists a danger of a gap between developing and developed countries increasing.

"I said it a lot of times, and will stress again, that providing equal access to technology is in the best interest of everyone on the planet, helps to strengthen cooperation and understanding on a global scale", - Alexander Lukashenko noted.

A network of fiber-optics communication lines, covering the entire country, was built in Belarus. Broadband Internet access is developing dynamically. Not only in the capital, but in the regional cities modern data processing centers were created.

By the president's words, special attention in Belarus is given to the problem of providing equal access in cities and villages. To meet these goals, a telecommunications part of the State program of revival and development of the rural areas was accepted and is now realized. In post offices, communal Internet access points are created to provide access to the Internet and informational services to the population.

Belarus develops and produces computer and communications machinery and software.

"We provided schools, bodies of state power with computers to broaden the sphere of Internet services application, make access to information easier and clearer for all groups of citizens", - head of the state stressed.

He also noted that "We have serious informatisational programs. Innovational way of development is one of the state's priorities, and this means much".

"We plan to increase national informational resources and e-services. We must create a wholesome state system of national informational resources and e-services provided for citizens for as soon as 2015.", - Alexander Lukashenko said.

The head of the state also noted that Belarus will also continue the growth of electronic trade, customs and tax declaration. We will strengthen educational and public health informational base.

By his words, a serious informatisation program is realized in Belarus. In particular, a lot of attention is given to the "Electronic Belarus" program, which our country develops independently. But we will also accept foreign investments into this sphere of economy with great delight, the President stressed.

The Park of high technology that was created in the Belarus, is called upon to become a true center of innovational economy development. It's work has not only economical, but also social meaning. Park, where beneficial tax and customs conditions were created, provides new highly-paid and prestigious workplaces, oriented mainly on young people. For them, it is an opportunity to become successful and realize their talent in Belarus.

Not only that, but Alexander Lukashenko considers advancement of our technologies on world markets to be very perspective. "Belarus has a traditionally developed mathematical school, our programmers one of the best in the world. So we have something to show in the sphere of intellectual product", - he said.

Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan shared their achievements in the sphere of informational and communication systems as well.

In particular, Kyrgyzstan president Kyrmanbek Bakiev announced that CIS countries should strengthen cooperation in the sphere of innovational developments and experience exchange. "Current economical crisis allowed us to find new directions of promising development. In my opinion, informational technologies and communications are such directions. We all strive to build an informational society that is oriented on people's interests and state development", - Kyrmanbek Bakiev said.

He also stressed that "It's important to consolidate CIS' countries efforts to attract investors for realization of common projects in the sphere of informational technologies. Age demands it".

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev called upon the CIS communications operators to strengthen cooperation. He noted that CIS countries have a large transit potential, a beneficial geographic location. Communications operators must use these advantages to develop and broaden mutually beneficial cooperation.

He also stated that he is sure of further development of CIS common informational space. "Our meeting today will be a new stimulation in it's broadening", - he said.

Tajikistan president Emomali Rakhmon stated that CIS countries must unite their efforts in increasing the informational security, including Internet data storage security. "Broadband Internet access in CIS countries is quickly developing, and it brings a full specter of services - financial, bank, educational and others. - he said.- But at the same time, we can't be assured that Internet is completely secure".

It is important for CIS countries to determine politically important resources of the national segment in the Internet, determine possible risks and apply developed systems of informational security, Emomali Rakhmon thinks. CIS countries possess technologies necessary for this.

It's also vital to continue working on harmonization of CIS' countries legislation to create more favorable conditions for investments in informational technologies, which allow to develop businesses in this sphere more effectively.

"Connect CIS space" summit, Regional preparatory meeting for CIS countries for the International telecommunication development conference of 2010 and 41st meeting of the Council of the heads of communications administrations of Regional CIS commonwealth in the sphere of communications will be carried out in Minsk in 23-27 of November. The goal of these activities is to provide help for the development of informational technologies in the CIS region, mobilising of human, financial, technological resources to provide a fast transition to regional digital infrastructure and digital network of services that is supposed to boost economy growth and development in the region.

Presidents of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, representatives of CIS countries, Georgia, International telecommunications union, UN European economical commission, World bank, European bank of reconstruction and development, European investment bank, heads of branch ministries and heads of 62 companies and organizations from 27 states.

Within the boundaries of events sectional meetings on topics "Creating future on the basis of broadband connection", "Assisting the creation of favorable conditions", "Strengthening the function of government services with the help of CIT", "Strengthening of the knowledge-based society", "Strengthening trust and security of CIT usage", "Transition from analog to digital broadcasting".

Useful links:

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/connect/cis/index.html

Themes

Information Policy Blog