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High tech, transport, SMEs viewed as drivers of Belarus-Russia Union State

MOSCOW, 2 April (BelTA) – High technology, transport, small and medium-sized enterprises should become drivers of Belarus-Russia Union State, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota said at a press conference timed to the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia on 2 April, BelTA has learned.

“I am strongly convinced that we should extensively focus on high technology products and everything that has to do with advanced technology. This is a global trend. If we lag behind (let us take Russia for an example), we risk sliding back to a commodity-based economy,” Grigory Rapota noted.

He emphasized that the Union State offers good opportunities to promote high technology. “I have recently toured the Hi-Tech Park in Minsk and, frankly speaking, I was pleasantly surprised by the progress achieved by Belarusian tech companies. The park is extending its reach to other hi-tech products,” he said.

According to Grigory Rapota, Belarus and Russia will give priority attention to promoting SMEs. “This is not our strongest side yet. If we look at the share of small and medium-sized businesses in the budget of Russia and Belarus, we will see that it is far from what we want it to be: its share varies from 20% to 25%. If we aspire to become developed industrial high-tech nations, we should increase this share to at least 50%,” he noted.

Apart from that, Grigory Rapota is convinced that the transportation sector should be a special area of focus in the Union State. “This is a serious matter and we should work on it,” he noted.

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