Azerbaijan's Prime Minister meets with International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General

On November 21, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov met with Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

According to Report, the sides underlined the importance of the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) hosted in Baku, noting that it was the first time the event was held in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region and brought together 2,500 specialists.

They also emphasized the significance of the opening of the ITU Regional Acceleration Center in Baku as part of the conference and expressed confidence that the Center would become a leading venue for innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.

The participants discussed the consistent measures taken in Azerbaijan to develop the ICT sector, the information and knowledge economy, artificial intelligence, expand digital infrastructure, and counter cyberattacks.

Prime Minister Ali Asadov stressed that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has declared the development of the ICT sector a national priority. He noted that this year the Digital Development Concept and the Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025–2028 were approved.

The Prime Minister underscored that Azerbaijan currently holds a leading position in the region with 100% broadband internet coverage.

It was noted that the development of high technologies has created the foundation for implementing the "smart city/smart village" concept, with a unique and innovative urban planning model based on this concept being widely applied in the liberated territories.

The meeting also discussed prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the ITU in digital transformation, cybersecurity, e-government, and other areas.

The sides emphasized that applying the ITU"s international expertise, particularly in digital governance and digital skills development, would be beneficial for Azerbaijan.

Discussions also covered increasing the representation of Azerbaijani specialists in the ITU"s governing bodies and working groups, extending Azerbaijan"s membership in the ITU Council for the next term, and other issues on the bilateral cooperation agenda.