Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Having appeared not so long ago, the digital economy has already become one of the main ways through which many entrepreneurs and governments all over the world do their work.

The term, originated in 1995, refers to an economy that is based on digital computing technologies. In this new type of economy, digital networking and communication infrastructures provide a global platform where people and organizations devise strategies, interact, communicate and collaborate.

Big corporations, banks, governments, as well as medium-sized businesses today reap the benefits that the information technology provides, as it largely eases their work. Azerbaijan, which strongly supports the use of such technologies, also invests in the digital economy.

"Azerbaijan has presented the results of work carried out within the country’s coordinated ICT Innovation & Startup Ecosystems direction to the European Commission," a source in Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies told Trend on October 10.

Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Elmir Velizade submitted the report at the second meeting of ministers for digital economy issues, which took place last week in Estonia within the EU’s Eastern Partnership program.

As a result of the ministers' meeting, the Declaration on the Digital Economy was adopted, which indicates the main work in the digital economy’s development jointly with the Eastern Partnership countries until 2020.

Azerbaijan-presented projects are leading among those selected according to the requirements of the ICT Innovate concept. Innovative centers and communication agencies of the Eastern Partnership countries have already agreed to include issues of eligibility for participation in the EU grant competitions and start-up conference conducted by the EU.

The ICT Innovate concept is a working group which combines technological parks, innovation centers and start-up communities from different countries. Azerbaijan heads the working group.

Earlier Azerbaijan prepared a number of project proposals in accordance with the HDM Initiative requirements, which were submitted to the European Commission for fund obtaining. The projects were prepared in such areas of the HDM Initiative as e-customs, e-commerce, e-business, e-security, etc.

HDM Initiative also aims to address important issues on the formation of legislative base, improvement of customs procedures, and implementation of software for trading. The initiative provides for the creation of a single digital space so that entrepreneurs could have a single field for trading operations and mutual settlements.

ICT is considered to be one of the crucial spheres for the further development of the economy and an integral part of the economic and political reforms which are currently implemented in Azerbaijan. Overall, the ICT sector has intensively developed in the country over the past years. Creating and developing of the e-government system, expanding the broadband internet services, launching the telecommunication and low-orbit satellites, and many other steps are the evidence of Azerbaijan’s success in this sphere.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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