Opinions & Interviews

Belarus urges EAEU to unite efforts for digital transformation

MINSK, 1 February (BelTA) – Belarus invites its partners in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to unite efforts in matters of digital transformation, Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas said as he addressed the international forum “Digital Agenda in the Era of Globalization 2.0: Eurasian Ecosystem for Innovation” in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 1 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian government.

“We understand that digitalization by definition goes beyond the borders of any, even the most developed country. Long-term success is impossible without us joining efforts both at the national and interstate levels. The overall success of digital transformation projects in the EAEU depends on mutual efforts of all stakeholders, and their readiness to cooperate,” said Sergei Rumas.

In practice, the EAEU member states are moving at different speeds, sometimes pursueing different strategies for transformations. “This concerns the development of both digital economy and legislation. We need to move in unison and to join efforts. To get a real synergistic effect, we need to work together on the cross-border and global IT market, use all the best that has been developed at the national level in each of the EAEU state,” the Belarusian head of government said.

In his words, Belarus has embarked on the course of building an IT country. “For this, the country is working on its legal and regulatory environment, large-scale infrastructure projects, and technological and organizational transformation of its traditional industries. The country has already legislated the use of tokens and blockchain technology. The first CIS cryptocurrency exchange has gone online in Belarus,” said Sergei Rumas. 

The prime minister stressed that in terms of software export per capita, Belarus is ahead of countries such as the United States, China, and India. “This is largely thanks to the digital economy ordinance signed by the Belarusian president at the end of 2017. As a result we saw an explosive growth of resident companies: the Hi-Tech Park welcomed more companies last year than in the entire 12 years of its existence. Now the number of the resident companies at the Hi-Tech Park is more than 450,” Sergei Rumas said.

According to Sergei Rumas, the HTP makes an emphasis on artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. More than 80 companies in the HTP work in these areas. “We have set a target to become one of the key artificial intelligence development centers of Eastern and Central Europe. Frankly speaking, the government is satisfied with the first results of the presidential ordinance [on digital economy]. As a result, Belarus ranks 32nd among 176 countries on the ICT Development Index,” the prime minister said.

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