Belarus and Russia intend to set up a joint center for laser technologies, BelTA quotes  Academician Sergei Bagayev, Director of the Laser Physics Institute, Siberian division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, before the international conference on coherent and non-linear optics, lasers, and relevant applications and technologies opened in Minsk. The new Belarusian-Russian R&D center is supposed to open in Minsk. The center will take care of the most important and new practical applications of laser technologies, said Sergei Bagayev. The scope of research will vary from agricultural applications to using lasers for the advanced processing of oil products to get modern materials. Sergei Kilin, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, specified that the new center is supposed to be established within six months in line with the joint action plan together with the Siberian division of the Russian Academy of Sciences.