SESSION ON THE BLACK SEA INTERCONNECTION PROJECT KICKS OFF TODAY IN YEREVAN

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS: Session dedicated to the Black
Sea Interconnection (BSI) project kicked off today in Yerevan in
which Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Education and Science
Minister Armen Ashotian, Head of the Armenian National Academy of
Science Radik Martirosian and others were present.

The BSI project is being implemented within the frameworks of Framework
Project 7(FP7) of the European Commission. Armenian National Academy of
Science and "The Association of Armenian Scientific and Educational
Nets" foundation are the partners of BSI project. Deputy Head of
the National Academy of Science Yuri Shukurian noted that the Black
Sea Interconnection project aims to construct an international net
infrastructure in the Caucasian region.

The project will develop a high speed net between the south Caucasian
scientific-educational centers. Started from June 1 the BSI project
ensures link in Armenia together with scientific-educational GEANT2
net which enables to import new services to the region and is an
important step for integration of the scientific potential of the
region into the Europe.

"Accession of Armenia to the pan-European educational-scientific net
has a very important role. Our scientists are enabled to get acquainted
with the activity of specialists from other states, their potential
and to present their works. Accession to the net settles many issues,
but there is an issue of providing with high-speed wire link during
using the net and BSI will assist in this issue," Y. Shukurian said.

According to him BSI will join Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in
one net. The National research nets of the three states will join to
more than 15 academic nets and 45 universities. In virtue of it the
high quality net resources will be available for the students and
the speed for joining internet for the research nets of the region
will increase 2-10 times.

Due to the fast net connections the researche ity to partake in such
advanced European infrastructural projects like ATLAS or VLBI. The
projects of European Neighborhood Policy will also use the BSI net
for supporting the electronic management, entrepreneurship and health
sphere projects.

Greeting the guests the Armenian Prime Minister noted that serious
events must be implemented to make the atmosphere favorable for the
IT developments. "Regrettably now we have most serious problems
in this sphere; first of all these issues are connected with the
infrastructures which do not satisfy our specialists. Shortcoming
of the infrastructures affects on the speed of transformation of the
information. We have investment projects in this direction which will
contribute to the significant development of this sphere," the Prime
Minister said.

He noted that accession to the GEANT2 net creates an exceptional
opportunity for Armenian scientists. He stressed the importance of
conduction of the conference noting that new ideas will be raised in
the process and new ties will be established between the scientists
of Armenia and other states.

The processes of training and retraining of the students are under
the limelight of the Government and according to the Prime Minister
accession to the GEANT2 net creates exclusive opportunities for the
students as well.

Representatives of "Turkish council of scientific and technological
researches", "Greek net of researches and technologies", "Net union
of central and eastern Europe", "Georgian research and educational net
union" as well as "Azerbaijani union of research and educational nets"
took part in the conference.