Lukashenka: I Don’t Want Us To Copycat

The dictator advised scientists to "roll up the sleeves and work."

Lukashenka has expressed doubts about whether Belarus needs a national scientific and technological park BelBiahrad, which will be engaged in bio- and nanotechnological, pharmacy and instrument-making projects. He stated that at a plenary session of the II Congress of Belarusian scientists, tut.by reports.

– I do not want us, forgive my passionate language, to play the ape. I mean, they create biograds there, somewhere and we set up such centers just because they exist in other places. If you look at the essence of your proposals, we can see that you want to separate certain groups of scientists from university, branch-wise, and academic science and place them in a sci-tech park. If there is a need, if these industries cannot be developed otherwise, let's take these scientists and concentrate them into a sci-tech park, such as the Belarusian-Chinese industrial park The Great Stone. If you think this will give a result, if we can't get on without it... But if we can give the result without breaking anything, why should we break it and relocate? – – the ruler wondered.

He noted that such biogrades are created in the countries, where these fields are lagging behind or not developed, but our situation is different: these industries are already at a sufficiently high level of development.

– Just roll up the sleeves and work. Please, think well, I emphasize, I am ready to support your decision if you answer this question: can these industries develop within the existing system? If not, then we will relocate them in a sci-tech park. But if we mean that we will bring scientists there just to create some preferences, then this is an unreasonable and absurd proposal. We can create conditions and preferences for any institution or any group of scientists. We do not have to break the system for this. [...] I’ve expressed my doubt. I’ve been offered a lot of such innovations, but they remind the Bolshevik revolution: up and break it, and then build in a new place. Has anyone calculated the expenses? –the dictator summed up.

We remind that the creation of BelBiahrad in Belarus was discussed back in 2011. The project was under the control of former Prime Minister Mikhail Miasnikovich.

BelBiahrad was supposed to include a complex of office, research and social buildings in different regions of Belarus. One zone was supposed to specialize in pharmaceutics and industrial biotechnology, the second one – in biotechnologies for the agro-industrial complex, the third one – in nanoproduction.

The project was planned to be implemented in 2012-2018, it was reported that it would take more than 2 billion euros.