Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 23 May (BelTA) – Belarus looks forward to working with the EU to develop the digital economy, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk said as he met with Ambassadors-at-Large for the Eastern Partnership representing the EU member states on 23 May, BelTA has learned.

Belarus attaches great attention to IT and adopted a digital economy ordinance in late 2017. “We look forward to cooperation with the European Union countries which have made great advances in the development of digital economy. It would be great if the transition economies such as Belarus could implement the European experience in the shortest possible time,” the vice speaker said.

According to Boleslav Pirshtuk, Belarus plans to present its resolution on digital economy development at the OSCE PA session in Berlin. The document is aimed at strengthening the economic component in cooperation in the OSCE region.

The development of relations with the EU is one of Belarus’ strategic areas of focus. Boleslav Pirshtuk noted that Belarus’ trade with the EU countries grew almost 30%. The vice speaker stressed that it is a good sign which shows that the bilateral cooperation has been developing in the right direction. Speaking about the prospects, Boleslav Pirshtuk stressed Belarus’ interest in European technology and investment. Measures are taken at the legislative level to create favorable conditions for investors in the country.

In his words, Belarus and the European Union have a lot of projects in the pipeline. Belarus is interested in increasing their number and accelerating their implementation.

The diplomats’ visit to the Belarusian parliament was welcomed as a positive step. “I believe we have a lot to talk over,” Boleslav Pirshtuk said.

During the meeting with the diplomats he suggested discussing modern global challenges and threats. The vice speaker reminded the diplomats about the Belarus president’s initiative on Helsinki 2 which is believed to help make progress in addressing these issues.

Ambassador-at-Large of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan Hofmokl noted that such visits are important for discussing issues of mutual interest, establishing constructive dialogue. Ambassador-at-Large of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna Westerholm added that the diplomats would like to study the position and priorities of Belarus in order to tell about them once they are back home.