Probably, some people will receive this issue of the magazine in 2009. There is nothing bad about it, as we tried to reflect the events to the maximum. The last month of the expiring year (these lines are written in the middle of December) didn’t stop the time. It was filled with the actions of the President, the Government, the Parliament, with the work of the scientists, doctors, agrarians, engineers, and workers in the spheres of art, education, and culture...There are many articles in this issue, reflecting the topical subject-matters, in our opinion. Perhaps, the most profound article was called “European tree of knowledge.” The author sums up peculiar foreign policy results of the year, places an emphasis on the fact that Belarus and the European Union opened new cooperation possibilities in 2008. In fact, the changes of our relations with Europe are encouraging. Strictly speaking, Belarus is a European country. It wants to confirm its place on the continent not only with the help of its geographical position, but with proper peculiarity of the European political configuration. Besides, the country has been a full member of the European Economic Community. This fact is undoubtful, because Belarusian export-oriented economy is integrated into the European market. Its production is in demand there. The national economic environment is not clear enough for the potential foreign investors. Belarusian information forum, which was held in London in November, liquidated the information vacuum in this sphere. This forum has already roused the business European world and foreign countries. In the article “Evidence of interest,” the author writes that the investment forum became the event of 2008 without exaggeration by the only reason: it drew the national and foreign partners nearer.
By the way, Belarus is not a mysterious island for the investors. This year investments into economy increased threefold and crossed the border of five billion US Dollars. However, the plank of expectations is being raised. The forum in London pushed to the fact that the Head of the Government confidently reported to the President about possible real investments for 2009 at the rate of eight billion US Dollars. Well, such a progressive jump could have fully confirmed the reasonableness of the course to the economy openness and its liberalization. Perhaps, we will feel it soon.
Besides, in compliance with the report of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Belarus is one of the few countries of the region, able to increase economic rates by results of 2008 by nine per cent minimum. This is an achievement, of which we can be proud in conditions, when the world met with a global financial crisis, discussed in the article “Reforms bring obvious effect”.
The experts make a conclusion that those economies will be able to remain afloat in difficult crisis times, which will take a course to innovations. Belarusian manufacturers also understand this circumstance. In particular, the production association “Integral,” where one of the biggest projects in the sphere of microelectronics is being realized within the frames of the national program. Read the article “Crystal price” to learn how the enterprise strives to take a high technological boundary.
The achievements at the scale of the country can be identified not only with the help of economy. Its interest from the point of view of communicative relations is also an important indicator. There are examples emphasizing Belarus positively in this sense. For example, foreign students come here. Their number for the last ten years increased more than thrice. The article “Interesting journey for knowledge” is dedicated to this topic. As well as impressions of one of the students, who came to Minsk to study from a distant Africa and shared his impressions in the article “I like it here...”
One year finishes, the other one begins. Such a circulation in nature and time. We look into the future optimistically. The mood can be compared with the mood of Belarusian alpinists, preparing the expedition to one of the highest tops of the world. Besides, the article about this, called “Insolent marchroutes of new ascents,” is one the last page of the magazine.
Viktor Kharkov,
magazine editor Беларусь. Belarus
