High-level meeting of BSEC held in Baku
December 4, AZERTAC
Supported by the Science Development Fund under the President of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan a high-level meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) was held in Baku.
The event held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan Ali Abbasov, was attended by the delegations from BSEC member countries - Azerbaijan, Turkey, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Ukraine.
“During the meeting, a plan of cooperation between members on Science and Technologies for 2014-2018 years will be discussed. The plan provides new way for cooperation in such areas as innovation, human resource development, development of scientific potential," he added.
The Minister stressed strengthening of cooperation in these areas, as well as in the field of human resources development and application of science and technology for social development among the challenges facing the member-countries of the BSEC.
Moreover, the discussion will include a project initiated by Azerbaijan on construction of the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM), which was supported by the UN General Assembly.
Abbasov said Azerbaijani scientists are actively involved in the implementation of economic reforms. In addition, the Azerbaijani scientists are collaborating with more than 250 research centers from 47 countries.
However, there is still lack of interaction between science, economy and industry in Azerbaijan. The amount of funding of science in Azerbaijan is 0.2 percent of the country’s GDP, he added.
"Currently, we are facing the problem of implementation of achievements of scientific research in the social and economic life. Today, there is a lack of interaction between science, economy and industry,” Abbasov noted.
Science and Technology Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation’s member-states have adopted an action plan and a declaration on cooperation in Baku.
Secretary General of BSEC Victor Tsvirkun emphasized the importance of this meeting that will give an impetus to the expansion of cooperation in the field of science and technology.
"The BSEC Working Group on Cooperation in the field of science and technology has demonstrated the best way to coordinate between the countries, starting this year, when Azerbaijan accepts the chairmanship.
“Science and technology are included in the priority areas of cooperation from the establishment of the working group in 1994. The BSEC's mission is to promote cooperation among the member-countries of the organization in this field," he added.
Tsvirkun said, until today 25 meetings of the Working Group and three meetings of Ministers of Science and Technologies were held, during which declarations and related documents were adopted. In particular, he drew attention to the two recent action plans for cooperation in this field, which covered the period from 2005 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2014.
"These documents have created an appropriate platform for further cooperation in science and technologies. In June 2012, a new economic program of the BSEC was adopted, that defined goals and obstacles that must be overcome in the coming years," he added.
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