Alexander Yakobson, the Chairman of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee:
Belarus has chosen its own development model, based on considered, thoroughly thought-out and evolutionary transformations. Everyone remembers the time when the country’s leadership had to ‘wrack its brains’ over how to feed people and sell our manufactures. Even ten years ago, many doubted the reality of these plans; now, we’re speaking about the modernisation and technical renewal of the whole production branch, building the state’s ‘smart economy’, based on innovations and high technologies...
These tasks could hardly be solved without the major character — the nation! An intellectual economy can only be created by well trained, clever and talented people, who are able to think in a modern way.
Our national priority for the coming five years can be figuratively described as having three ‘i’s: initiative, innovation and investments. Development of human potential is impossible without initiative; modernisation of production and creation of high technologies rely on innovation; and sustainable development of regions requires investment.
