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MINSK, 12 December (BelTA) - Latvia is interested in developing cooperation with Belarus in agriculture, forestry and food, Vice President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, President of the Latvian Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences Baiba Rivza told the media on the sidelines of the Second Congress of Scientists of Belarus, BelTA has learned.

“I am very glad to have this opportunity and attend the Second Congress of Scientists in Belarus. We have good long-term relations with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Belarusian science is well-developed in different areas: physics, computer science, biotechnology, medicine. Most, of course, I am interested in the Belarusian developments in the forest industry and agriculture. We have had two joint projects in the field of forestry which have been a success. We constantly cooperate with the NASB scientific organizations that are working on technologies for agriculture and food. I think our cooperation will continue in the future,” Baiba Rivza said.

On 12 December the Second Congress of Scientists is focused on the international scientific cooperation and mechanisms to enhance the cooperation in the most promising areas of science.

The Second Congress of Scientists is running in Minsk on 12-13 December. The congress brought together 2,600 delegates from all regions of the country, famous scientists of the Union State, the CIS, the leading foreign academies of sciences, international research organizations and centers. Nine panel sessions on the first day of the congress discuss the main areas of development of science.

The plenary session is scheduled for 13 December. The draft strategy Science and Technologies: 2018-2040 will be the key item on the agenda of the congress. The document is going through public discussions now. The strategy determines priorities of long-term development of science and technology and offers a set of instruments to improve the science and technology sphere. The document is supposed to enable new quality of economic growth in Belarus. It will help Belarus reach the international level in a number of areas in the future. The strategy has been put together by NASB scientists taking into account remarks and proposals from government agencies, working groups, and individual scientists. The strategy’s implementation is supposed to up the share of science in the GDP up to 3%. The share of breakthrough R&D is to reach 30% of the total volume, with the share of high-tech sectors in the structure of the national economy up to 10%. Innovative products are expected to account for 25% of the total output of Belarusian industrial enterprises.