PM says Russia ready to respond to global technological challenges

MOSCOW, Apr 11 (PRIME) -- The Russian economy is ready to respond to global technological challenges, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday at a meeting with the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house.

The economy is now less dependent on external conditions, since it has become more advanced and competitive. It can develop even at low oil prices and rely primarily on its own sources, Medvedev told the deputies.

“Not only raw material industries, but also others push the economy forward today. I mean the chemical industry, agriculture, transportation, agricultural machine building, housing building, pharmaceutics, and IT industry,” the prime minister said.

“Our economy is ready to respond to global technological challenges. The modern world is a world of new ideas, new technologies, and in this world a country’s position is determined by its ability to generate innovations.

“We create information infrastructure almost in all industries, and it will serve a basis for the transfer to digital technologies. We try to shape a favorable environment for new high-tech companies and products to emerge. All these vectors are stipulated by the new Digital Economy program, which was adopted last year.”

Medvedev also said that the country is building infrastructure to support innovative activities.

“Thanks to different institutes of development, we’ve supported almost 6,000 startups in all spheres. Work is in progress on various floors, in Skolkovo alone total revenue of startups has exceeded 150 billion rubles,” the prime minister said. Skolkovo is Russia’s answer to the U.S. Silicon Valley.

The national technological initiative helps new goods to enter the market, the prime minister said.

(62.3699 rubles – U.S. $1)

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