3.03.2018

Editorial director Forbes (Finland), ex-editor Forbes (USA) Tom Post and publisher Forbes Latvia, Estonia, Finland Arkady Shteimans were pretty straightforward, evaluating the HTP as a "super-story in the embryonic state." However, for only a day the opinion of experts has changed.

"We are amazed at the caliber of reforms that President Lukashenko has been launching in recent years. The courage, ambitiousness of the decisions taken to liberalize the crypto-currencies, the creation of the Free Zone of the Great Stone, the expansion of preferences in the HTP - are comparable, perhaps, only with the reforms of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore.

Tom Post, in his lecture for BSU students, "Change or Die", just stressed the idea of ​​great achievements - through a challenge to himself. We are sure that the initiatives launched by the President of Belarus are a real catalyst for change, an example for Belarusian youth, how it is necessary and possible to set the most ambitious goals and not be afraid to implement them. For many people in the West, initiatives in Minsk remain unknown. But this is a matter of time when European companies will take advantage of the favorable climate and advanced engineering brains of Belarus - the formation of which took place over the last 30-40 years.content_5_arkadijs_steimans_28022018_zam_lr.jpg

Belarusian economy could double

On the last day of our visit, we have completely changed the view on the entrepreneurial culture and potential of the country. It turned out that the natural modesty of opinion leaders in Minsk and the asymmetric information about entrepreneurial achievements in Belarus have distorted the perception of the business climate.

Having seen the HTP, the development center for global player Juno, plunging into the future with the founders of Synesis, through snowstorm and snowfall, visiting the mega-project Great Stone Industrial Park - we can confidently conclude: Belarus stands on the eve of an economic leap as "Asian tigers" in the 90's.
And that's why. HTP residents, who have made the first money on outsourcing services, are now actively investing in the development of new products. So, they take the risk of competing around the world - launching a catalyst for entrepreneurship. Programmers, after working 3-4 years, do spin-off, create their own teams and, based on the experience of the most demanding international customers, create their companies, offering IT services of a global level.

This movement, we are sure, will give a multiplier effect - and will allow HTP to triple its turnover to $ 3-4 billion in the next few years. Denis Aleinikov, lawyer, assessed the potential of Belarus at the same level as Israel two days earlier. In vain, we did not immediately believe him with a half-word.
But the main emerald of economic growth we have found in 25 km from the center of the Belarusian capital. The initiative of Lukashenka and the leader of China is to create an industrial zone for 100 square meters km in the trillion project with Silk Road.

Great Stone Industrial Park ($ 1 billion investments for today, within two years – at least $ 3 billion) will be able to increase the total export of goods and services made in Belarus by 50%.
Great Stone Industrial Park is a strategic ticket for your country. It will help rebuild your major industrial enterprises, give them innovation and efficiency, without losing jobs - and thereby makes an unprecedented economic breakthrough.

Imagine if the HTP can expand its presence outside IT - and together with the leadership of the Great Stone will launch startups in the field of engineering, the Internet of things, etc. Having married the industrial economy with innovations, I'm sure Belarusian companies will be able to attract the hottest investments in the technological world - from China. It is no coincidence that your northern neighbor, the famous Finnish gaming-company Supercell has managed to attract $ 9 billion from Tencent.
The big business game that we saw in Minsk inspires us with confidence that due to the business leaders of your country, the coming of Forbes is not far off. We replicate the success of your entrepreneurs and charge them for the ambitious tasks of conquering the world

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Source: dev.by