Russian scientists should maintain ties with foreign partners - Russian Academy of Sciences president

NIZHNY NOVGOROD. April 5 (Interfax) - Russian scientists should preserve contacts with their foreign counterparts, as a scientific result can be attained only through combining efforts of teams from different countries, Russian Academy of Science (RAS) President Alexander Sergeyev said.

"It's very difficult to pursue fundamental scientific research in the absence of international cooperation. Science has long been transnational, and results are attained through pooling efforts of teams from different countries. The isolation that we've been scared with is very alarming. We should maintain the ties that we have in any possible way and display wisdom and calmness," Sergeyev told journalists in Nizhny Novgorod.

Over time, the Russian academic community will have to restore its scientific ties with foreign counterparts, he said.

"It's better to do it not when everything is severed between us, but when there is an understanding with our colleagues that we are useful to each other. This is one of the substantial issues on which the Russian Academy of Sciences is working," he said.

At the present stage, science should help "quickly make the country import-independent in priority areas," he said.

"We should very quickly establish, recover, and create efficient links between knowledge and the market. And science's role here is very important, there are a lot of details and projects in the high technology area that should be completed quickly," he said.