Regime invited Ramanchuk and Vardamatsky to save image of dictatorship abroad
- 6.01.2009, 11:53
Prime Minister has offered Yaraslau Ramanchuk and Andrei Vardamatsky to “marketing of the country”.
On December 31 Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski singed an order to create a interdepartmental working group for creation a draft plan for positive country marketing development, which envisages offers aimed at interaction with foreign investors, and concrete steps on informing foreign investors about investment opportunities in Belarus”.
The working group consists of 14 persons, including the head of the analytical centre “Strategy”, deputy chairman of the United Civil Party Yaraslau Ramanchuk, and director of the axiometry research laboratory “Novak”, chairman of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research’s council Andrei Vardamatski.
“There haven’t been any sessions yet,” Y. Ramanchuk said in an interview to “Nasha Niva” newspaper. “Officials haven’t discussed my joining the group; I only had a conversation with people from the sphere of marketing. I have agreed, but I didn’t believe to the last minute the government could approve it. It is obvious that a huge crisis of ideas is observes inside the regime. It also depends on the financial crisis. It is possible that by such a move the authorities hope to shift the blame for the events in the country partially onto the representatives of the independent community. At the same time, it is a wonderful platform ground for communicating one’s thoughts and ideas. If Lord Bell is saying only about minor repairs, we are speaking about complete overhaul. It is not enough to have just attractive wrapping for investments to come here. Personally I will insist on complete transparency of the commission’s work”.
“This means proposal for cooperation by the regime and understanding of the realities,” Andrei Vardamatski said in an interview to Radio Racyja. “The authorities understand that the image of the country outside its borders is very bad, and in order to improve it, potential of independent experts is to be used as well”.
Vardamatski noted that so far they have only proposals for taking part in the discussion. “It is not clear yet, whether they would listen to us, or whether it is done pro forma”.