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Azeri Communications Minister: IT Development Boom is Expected in Azerbaijan

ICT Materials 2 March 2007 16:51 (UTC +04:00)
Azeri Communications Minister: IT Development Boom is Expected in   Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. S.Babayeva / The Minister of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan, Ali Abbasov, said at the meeting with the representatives of the investment companies in Los Angeles within the visit of Azerbaijan's delegation to the USA that a boom is expected in Azerbaijan in the development of information technologies, Voice of America reports. According to him, carries out work on creating regional innovation zone. Oil exports have caused 's growth rate to rocket past 30 percent, but Azerbaijani officials know the oil will not last forever, he said. Ali Abbasov was in to urge business leaders to invest in his country. He says has been blessed with oil revenue, but needs to build a stable, sustainable economy. "And the information and communications technologies have been chosen as a priority field of 's new economy," he said. The theme of the government drive is converting black gold to human gold that is, using oil wealth to build the skills and other assets that economists call "human capital." Elchin Aliyev, president of the information technology company SINAM in , explains the concept. "It means to spend money to build some infrastructure, to build high-speed networks, to bring computers to schools, to the education system, and to integrate to the world information society," he said.Aliyev's company has partnered with leading technology firms, including Cisco and Hewlett-Packard, to build database systems for 's national bank, state pension fund, and other government institutions.Bruce Hakimi of the company Cybernet provides telecom and internet services through a firm in called Avir Tel. He says is a good place to invest. "It is a country that has an open economy, and that is important. Secondly, the growth potential is high. And third, it is a country that is an ally of the . And I think that it is important for us Americans to be able to help people who help us," he said. is still emerging from the planned economy of the Soviet Era, but the nation's officials say its abundant energy resources will allow it to make the transition to a regional IT center for the 21st century.The visit will conclude on 4 March.

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