Events

MINSK, 13 December (BelTA) – Scientists should test their ideas in practice, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko noted at the second Congress of Scientists of Belarus on 13 December, BelTA has learned.

“Scientists should get out of their laboratories and test their ideas in practice. If they do not do this, we will be convening congresses, and you will be asking for wage increases, housing construction, and other things. The government will promise you these things, sometimes do them and sometimes not. We will gather for another congress and speak for the sake of speaking. The people and the state, however, will see no results,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Scientists are not closely involved in the modernization of industrial companies and agriculture, the president added. “We have modernized our agriculture. No one here will argue with the fact that we have achieved a lot in this sector. We had a task to save the villages, because Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine cannot exist without them. This is our traditional source of life that preserves the nation. We have achieved a lot but not a single scientist today will stand up and say that it was his or her proposal to move forward in this direction. We ran round the world to broaden our knowledge, then took decisions at the highest level and turned them into reality. Why were not scientists the ones who originated this?” the head of state inquired.

He also recalled the modernization of OAO Kamvol. “This saga lasted for almost five years, but was it a huge breakthrough? What role did scientists play in the modernization of this particular enterprise and all the enterprises that are undergoing modernization at the moment? What was their impact?" Alexander Lukashenko asked.

The help of scientists is extremely important so that no mistakes are made, the head of state emphasized. “We should be moving together with them, or, perhaps, they should be one step ahead of us. Such modernization will cost us less than now. This is what the country needs from scientists,” the president added.

Alexander Lukashenko mentioned the establishment of a domestic missile manufacturing enterprise as an example. “At first, we gathered scientists and asked whether they could do anything. It appeared that they could offer less than expected. We traveled the world and found what we needed. We developed our own missile system within two years. I believe that no country has ever done that in two years. This is how we should work, when scientists get involved and have the lead. The government, on the other hand, controls and guides the process,” the head of state summarized.