Belarus is embarking on a path of stable economic growth. This was stated today by Georgy Grits, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Scientific and Industrial Association, Candidate of Economic Sciences, during an online video briefing at the National Press Center, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"The liberalisation of business conditions and the identification of priority sectors for economic development create confidence that Belarus is moving onto a path of sustainable and sufficiently stable growth, returning to the list of countries with a competitive economy," noted Georgy Grits.
He stated that the tasks facing the economy in 2018 are to consolidate sustainable economic growth and reach new growth points. The prerequisites for this were created last year. Georgy Grits cited the adoption of Decree No. 7, as well as other documents within the framework of liberalising business conditions, as such prerequisites. "The role of the state has been liberalised in terms of its influence on business. Many talk about small and medium-sized businesses, although in reality Decree No. 7 affected all businesses – both large and small. It is another matter that the responsibility of business – both owners and top managers – has increased. But this is not a whim of the state, it is a global trend," he explained.
According to him, Decree No. 8 is also key, which has radically changed the role and significance of the IT industry. "We have identified a new promising segment for development not only in the medium term but also in the long term. Previously, it was mechanical engineering and agriculture, which are now integrating into the 'electronic Belarus' trend," said Georgy Grits.
Georgy Grits also expressed his views on cryptocurrency. "I consider Bitcoin to be an investment element with a sufficiently high speculative risk. But this is a global trend. As an example, I will cite the birthplace of cryptocurrency – Japan. According to the latest estimates by Japanese experts, the turnover of cryptocurrency alone, where it is an official means of payment, has contributed 0.2% to economic growth. And this is with a GDP of hundreds of billions of dollars," he stated.