The event was arranged by the Public Coordination Council in Support of SCO and SCO Business Council and sponsored by OAO “Svyazinvest”. The round-able conference was attended by representatives of the Secretariat of the SCO Business Council, officials of the federal executive and legislative authorities and communications sector, state and private agents of communication market, scientists, diplomats and journalists.
The agenda of the conference included such urgent problems as promotion of cooperation between SCO communication enterprises; implementation of the “SCO High-Speed Information Highway” project; implementation of electronic digital signature technology for provision of electronic trans-border cooperation; promotion of cooperation in “electronic government” procedures; development of infrastructure for scientific-technological centers (TechnoParks), etc.
The round-table conference was opened by General Director of NA “Inforos”, Coordinator of the “InfoSHOS.ru” Project Denis Turin, who said that the proposed agenda is especially urgent for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that in recent years demonstrates high pace of dynamic development. He also said that the current round-table session has been claimed as the first in the series of similar events (round-table conferences) scheduled for the next year and devoted to the economic cooperation of the SCO nations in different spheres.
SCO Business Council Executive Secretary Sergey Kanavsky and Deputy Director of the External Communications Department, Chief of the Investor and International Institution Cooperation Department in OAO “Svyazinvest” Juliana Sokolenko also addressed the conference. They noted that the problems of the round-table agenda are urgent for closer integration of the SCO countries in the sphere of communications, and wished the attendees a successful and fruitful work.
Kostantin Novoderezhkin, official of the RF Ministry for Communications and Informatization, in his address told in detail about the work of a special SCO task team involved in problems of the High-Speed Information Highway (HSIH) and electronic trans-border cooperation. In particular, he said that cooperation between the SCO countries in the telecommunications and technologically-intensive sectors should externalize itself in specific practical activities under joint investment projects, including discussions of these problems at the meetings of the SCO Business Council and Association of SCO Banks, establishment of respective pilot zones, etc.
Alexey Domrachev, Deputy Director of the Department of State-Provided Services in the Federal Agency for Information Technologies, made a detailed report on provision of electronic trans-border cooperation by using the electronic digital signature including within the framework of the “Electronic Russia” Federal Program. As quoted to him, key problems for the wide use of electronic digital signature in trans-border cooperation include providing of consistent storage of e-documents, development of reliable third-party-confidence-building technologies and techniques and elaboration of the respective international standards. According to Domrachev, the USA makes persistent affords to push own standards in this sphere upon the world community, while the Russian Federation and certain other countries stand for elaboration of such standards on the basis of cooperation between national segments of confidence. He stressed that in this connection the Russian Federation needs to be prudent to settle this problem through creation of a common confidence domain within the framework of such international organizations as the SCO, EurAsEC, etc.
Major-General (Rtd) Leonid Shershnev, President of the National and International Security Fund, Chairman of the Coordination Council in Support of SCO, emphasized that the SCO common information space creation problem is determined to a great extent by a format of a union of four largest world civilizations. An information nucleus of such union should be a common civilization ideology that would facilitate strengthening the SCO internally and set a correct vector of its development for the future, rather than the technology itself. In this sense, L. Shershnev believes that moral and spiritual tasks to preserve ethnocultural identity of the SCO nations and protect their national interests, etc. under the conditions of globalization should be brought to the forefront. He also expressed his opinion that in this context the Russian Federation that has the richest philosophical and spiritual legacy still falls behind China that already officially put forward a concept of country technological development harmonious with nature. L.Shershnev believes that the Russian Federation should give up a paradigm of “civilization divorce” and transit to a paradigm of “civilization union” within the framework of the SCO and other relative organizations (EurAsEC, CSTO, etc.)
Sergey Ustyugov, Department Chief of the Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Communications, informed that a jubilee meeting of such respectful Russian information entity as INFOFORUM is scheduled for January 31 – February 1, 2008. The meeting is expected to discuss a wide spectrum of problems relating to the humanitarian cooperation in the Eurasian space. He invited all attendees to take an active part in this notable event and arrange its own round-table conference on the SCO problems within the framework of this meeting. According to him, in last 6 years the SCO development gained momentum, and this Organization should play an extremely important constructive role in harmonious development of such a unique civilization space as Eurasia.
Kirill Lvov, representative of ZAO “Company Trans TeleCom”, Olga Rumyantzeva, Sales and Services Director of OAO “Rostelecom”, and A. Grigoryev, Commercial Director of OOO “DBNF-Service”, also made their communications at the round-table conference. They advised attendees on the efforts of Russian telecommunication market leading agents to solve the problems relating to trans-border connections and information traffic within the framework of the SCO, noted that the interest of the SCO countries in joint telecommunication projects and demand for distribution and expansion of provider and transit Internet-services are increasing, as well as told on pending problems (compatibility of platforms and technological processes, differences in regulatory bases, etc.).
Vladimir Matveyev, representative of the RAS Institute of the Far East said that today sophisticated telecommunication systems are core facilities of advanced Hi-Tech business development in the SCO countries. Telecommunication technologies are extremely important for solution of both economic and social problems, in particular for reduction of economic migration, enhancement of information exchange between nations, coordination in the sphere of education, etc. He said that in the last 10 years a huge growing market of Internet-services has emerged in the SCO countries, and the number of Internet-users has increased there 4-6-fold.
Vladimir Gorbanovsky, representative of the Central Agency for Development of System Integration Initiatives, focused on current IT projects within the SCO. In particular, he noted that many successful projects may be used efficiently in behalf of the SCO, including those in the sphere of telecommunications that are already in progress in the Belgorod Region of Russia. This Region is one of the most advanced regions of Russia in terms of economic growth and technological innovations.
Nataliya Kharotonova from the Center of Information and Analyses of the Moscow State University told about an important role of innovative technologies in development of the SCO economies, in particular in Kazakhstan, Russia and China. At the same time, she noted that each particular country still has its own specific problems. According to her, today the Central Asia countries are at the parting of the ways to determine a model of their economic and social development. Many of them take cue from China with its rigid regulatory system and leading role of the Communist Party in the Chinese society. In this context the exchange of information and transfer of experience are of utmost importance. And innovative communication technologies may play a very important role in this process.
S. Savushkin, Chairman of the Board of Media Group “RKTz-Media”, performed a presentation of the first Russian-Chinese non-governmental TV channel that will start broadcasting in February 2008. In his opinion, the TV may facilitate mutual enrichment of the Russian and Chinese cultures, promote tolerance and awareness of the Russian and Chinese people of each other. According to “RKTz-Media”, a potential audience of the TV channel may be up to 35 million people. The company also plans to open a voice portal for Chinese people residing in Russia or visiting Russia.
Boris Blehman, Executive Director of ZAO “National Telemedical Agency”, told about a project of mobile telecommunication system to be used in the interests of health care and medical treatment of people residing in hard-to-reach areas. The mobile telemedical laboratory may be mounted on vehicles, aircraft, vessels and trains, including special health trains of a SCO Business Council-sponsored project for rendering medical assistance to the people in remote areas of the Organization’s countries of Central Asia.
Igor Panarin, political analyst, Professor of the Diplomatic Academy of the RF Foreign Ministry, said that within the framework of the SCO an initiative relating to integration processes still practically belongs to China. It is not a positive trend for Russia, which in many aspects falls behind China in extension of its influence in Central Asia. At the same time, China is not a confrontational party for Russia, and this problem needs a correct and balanced approach. The SCO common information space should have both information & technological and moral & spiritual components, and should be created by virtue of a dialogue of civilizations. I. Panarin proposed to establish an international TV channel within the framework of the SCO, inter alia as an instrument of counteraction to efforts of certain forces in the world that try to discredit the Organization and conduct information provocations and sabotage against the SCO nations. It is also important to establish a supervisory board of this TV channel consisting of representatives of all SCO nations in order to avoid “an information bias” towards one country or group of countries.
Finally, the participants of the round-table conference agreed to continue the constructive work and exchange of views on the discussed agenda, and prepare a digest of the session to be distributed to experts and public in the SCO member states.
