VICE-PRESIDENT OF ALCATEL: ARMENIA HAS GREAT POTENTIAL IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006

YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. Vice-President of Alcatel company for
CIS countries and Mongolia Johan Vanderplaetse told journalists in
Tbilisi that Armenia had a great potential in software development.

"Recent visit of President of Alcatel Serge Churuka to Armenia
together with the delegation of President of France Jacques Chirac
was conditioned not only by the fact that the company is a supplier,
successfully selling its solutions at Armenian market, but also by
the circumstance that Armenia has a great potential in the sphere of
software development", Vanderplaetse said.

He said that as early as a year ago after Churuka’s meeting with
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan it became clear that Armenia
was highly interested in software development.

"We find it a very right decision, since Armenia does not have gas
or oil reserves, but it has a great advantage thanks to its human
resources and high system of education", Vanderplaetse emphasized.

"We are satisfied that in Armenia on the highest levels people clearly
understand that the development of telecommunication and availability
of internet not only in Yerevan but also across Armenia is a key
target of the country", he said.

"We have unique offers on ViMax, which we want to promote in Armenia",
he pointed out, meantime adding that in the country the development
of the internet itself depended on the operators, engaged in
telecommunication software.

Answering to a question about the possibility of opening an enterprise
of ready production of Alcatel company in Armenia, Vanderplaetse
pointed out that at present the software was the main part of
telecommunication software, and "the iron is less and less important".

"We have a choice – either to invest into production of "slow-witted"
iron, or use brains of Armenian engineers in the sphere of software.

I think that the second is worth counting on", he said.S.P.-0–