During the formation of the young Belarusian sovereign state, science was chosen as a key priority, and the government has never doubted the correctness of this decision, President Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised at today’s meeting dedicated to the development of science and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) activities


Photo: www.president.gov.by


As the Head of State pointed out, domestic science has achieved progress, ‘especially in areas such as materials science, information technology, medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, space exploration, and several others’, “When building the young Belarusian sovereign state, we chose science as a key priority of our efforts, and we have never doubted the correctness of this decision.”


“We have preserved scientific schools, developed the material and technical base of research organisations and established mechanisms for state financial support of research and development. Moreover, budget expenditures on sci-tech and innovative development increase every year. I want to underline that a significant amount of funds is allocated for these purposes,” Aleksandr Lukashenko reminded.


At the same time, the President emphasised, “However, the key issue is whether the returns from the state’s investments and efforts in science are increasing. Is the scientific sector generating advancements that meet or surpass global standards and that are ready for practical application across various industries, instead of merely being displayed at exhibitions?”


Acknowledging that numerous issues are still unresolved, the President stressed, “When I appointed the Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Vladimir Karanik, I directed him to speed up efforts to address all obstacles affecting the Academy’s operations and science overall. However, I must say that, up to now, no substantial progress has been made in this regard. The most important thing is to avoid getting caught up in routine issues. At this point, taking concrete actions that guarantee the resolution of the main problems is what truly matters.”