Ilham Aliyev: "Azerbaijan can become a regional center of high technology"

Azerbaijan a few years can become a regional center of high technology. On this and some other aspects of the development of ICT in the exhibition "BakuTel-2012" President Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to Bloomberg TV, Benjamin Rahr.

According to the President, despite a slight decline in the energy sector, the rate of non-oil sector, including ICT, made this year more than 10%. The number of Internet users over 65% of the population. The system is to ensure every village broadband services of the virtual space. Along with the freedom of information on the agenda is cyber security and the adoption of a law regulating this area. The balance between the constitutional freedoms, inalienable human rights and national security, the legal framework was one of the main topics on the Internet Forum.

"I think that the discussion on this forum will contribute to the emergence of some new ideas in this regard, and we will certainly use them. In addition, we will study the experience of the leading countries in the world on this issue. How do they see the solution to these problems? As leading democracies of the world will deal with these issues? This is very important for us," said Aliyev.

According to him, Azerbaijan has a very good investment environment, as evidenced by the highest in the CIS, foreign direct investment per capita. Highest interest is in investing in the oil and gas sector, ICT, infrastructure, construction sector. Increasing in the number of international companies involved in the "BakuTel" is a good indicator of the attractiveness of the Azerbaijani market.

The President expressed the hope that, in terms of business and income, the ICT sector has become second only to the oil and gas sector. In the next 20 years, this area could become the leading, and perhaps one of the most important sectors of our economy. - 17D-