The Third Asian IT Ministers summit opened in Bahrain Monday. In his speech, Bahrain's Transportation Minister Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said that the summit will discuss the range of development since Haiderbad Summit in India last year and evaluate new IT solutions for speeding up coordination and integration process in backing up IT policies at the local and regional levels.
Shaikh Ali said that among the issues to be discussed in the summit is language problems and the clashes of internet cultures and protecting the privacy in Asia and Middle East and the future of the infrastructure at the communication field.
Later, Kuwaiti Minister of Transportation Shaikh Ahmed Al-Abdulla Al Sabah delivered a speech in which he said that IT became a main category to estimate the volume of development for each nation. The Representative of the International Communication Federation Ebrahim Al-Haddad, affirmed the importance of the Summit in reviewing challenges and obstacles facing the IT infrastructure development, and the work towards setting up strategic plans, aimed at developing the sector in Asia.
At the end of the opening session, the Bahraini Minister of Transportation opened the first Arab Telecom Exhibition, and was briefed about the modern techniques in the field of information technology and communication, and services provided by the participating international companies.
In a statement to Bahrain TV, the Minister of Transportation Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said that Bahrain is the ideal platform for such event, due to its advanced business infrastructure, and the high level of IT penetration in the Kingdom.
Organizers are billing Telecom Arabiya 2005 as the definitive exhibition and conference for international telecom professionals dedicated to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. The Bahrain Ministry of Commerce, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, and the Bahrain Convention and Exhibition Bureau are also supporting the key event.
