DRAFT CONCEPT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR DEVELOPMEMT TO BE DISCUSSED AT ITDSC SITTING
Noyan Tapan
Ma y 23, 2008
YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. After a year’s interruption, on May
26, a sitting of the IT Development Support Council (ITDSC) chaired
by the Armenian prime minister will be held in order to discuss the
draft concept of development of the Armenian IT sector. The director
of the E-Content Association of Armenia (ECA) and chairman of the
IT Foundation Garegin Chugaszian announced this at the May 23 press
conference held jointly with the chairman of Bi Line company Hayk
Khanjian and the director of Center of Information Technologies (CIT)
company Gagik Karapetian.
In the words of G. Chugaszian, last week a consultation to discuss the
concept was held with the participation of the minister of economy
Nerses Yeritsian, and the disagreement and criticism voiced at the
consultation was not covered by the press. He said that the process
of developing the concept was not a transparent one: the names of the
members of the working group to have prepared the draft concept were
not published, while the draft was submitted to the government without
being discussed by the ITDSC, the RA National Academy of Sciences
and authoritive respresentatives of the sector, whereas during a
consultation conducted by the former president of Armenia Robert
Kocharian in April 2004, the president instructed that the draft shall
be discussed by the ITDSC before being submitted to the government.
These questions remained unanswered at the consultation with the
participation of N. Yeritsian in charge of the concept’s development.
Besides, G. Chugaszian expressed concern about the fact that
N. Yeritsian has proposed submitting comments on the draft concept
within 6 days, while a new consultation will be held in 10 days, and
"the issue will be closed".
"It is incorrect to take not serious approach to the busy people who
have waited for a year so that the concept will be discussed by the
working groups of the ITDSC," G. Chugaszian noted.
H. Khanjian said that the draft concept does not address properly the
problems of Armenian e-content development, whereas the society uses
ITs to make e-content accessible. According to G. Karapetian, the draft
concept did not take into account the necessity to ensure continuity
of projects and work done in Armenia’s IT sector in the past.