Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Azerbaijan has submitted a draft resolution on creation of the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM) to the UN General Assembly, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said on August 15.

"We appreciate the support of Turkic-speaking countries to the TASIM project and are confident on further cooperation towards the creation of the Council of Eurasian connection," Mammadyarov said while addressing a meeting of Foreign Ministers in Azerbaijani city Gabala in the framework of third Council of Cooperation of Turkic Speaking Countries.

The draft resolution on "More improved connection and development of cooperation on the creation of telecommunication transit routes" is the continuation of a resolution № 67/194, adopted earlier on the TASIM project in an effort to act as a platform for simplification of international cooperation and stable development in use of information and communication technologies.

TASIM is a project of regional importance, which aims to lay a transnational fiber-optic line covering the countries of Eurasia from Western Europe to Eastern Asia.

The project envisages the creation of a major transit link from Frankfurt, Germany to Hong Kong. The line will combine major centers of information exchange in Europe and Asia. The transit line will stretch through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to Germany. Reserve North transit line will pass through the territory of Russia, Ukraine and Poland.

On December 21, 2009 a resolution supported by representatives of 30 countries was adopted at the 64th plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly for the creation of the TASIM superhighway.

TASIM is a long-term initiative and will be implemented in two stages.

During the first phase leading regional countries and operators will create major Internet transit infrastructure, linking the West and East. The process is planned to finalize in late 2013.

In the second phase of the project, TASIM is expected to provide the Eurasian countries that do not have direct access to open sea, including Central Asian states, with Internet connection at affordable rates. According to the plan, new fiber-optic lines will be constructed, while the existing lines will be upgraded and connected to the TASIM network.

The TASIM project will contribute to creating an open information society in the region, to increasing the speed of Internet connection and promoting the development of Internet services, which, in turn, will lead to economic development, diversification of the economy and increased competition.