Minister of Information and Telecommunications Mihailo Jovanovic and Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the State of Qatar Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai signed today in Doha a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of information-communication technologies between the two governments.
Jovanovic expressed satisfaction at the signing of the mentioned memorandum, which improves relations between the two countries, specifically in the field of information and communication technologies, in which Serbia is recognised as a leader in Southeast Europe.
He stated that this is the first intergovernmental agreement between the governments of Serbia and Qatar since 2017, noting that cooperation in the field of ICT will be intensified through the exchange of knowledge related to the construction of large data centres and cooperation with global cloud leaders, such as Oracle, Microsoft, Google and Amazon.
Colleagues from Qatar are very interested in the projects in the field of biotechnology that the government of Serbia is working on, especially the construction of the large BIO4 campus, the Minister said and added that he invited the interlocutors to come to the Belgrade Biotech Future Forum in October this year.
Jovanovic emphasised that last year a record high was made when it comes to Serbia’s ICT exports, which amounted to €2.7 billion, and he expressed the expectation that this amount will reach far more than three billion euros at the end of this year, perhaps even €4 billion.
According to him, cooperation with Qatar in this area represents a significant step forward in strengthening ties between our two nations and encouraging technological progress, which will benefit our societies.
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Qatar stated that the aim of this memorandum is to exchange expertise, knowledge and best practices in the ICT sector.
Using our joint strengths, we can foster innovation, expand digital infrastructure and improve the connectivity of our citizens, economies and governments, he concluded.
The memorandum, among other things, foresees support for the cooperation of state and private sector institutions in the use of information and communication technologies as a means of improving public services.
Also, support for the exchange of practices in the field of regulatory policy and institutional framework is foreseen, with a special emphasis on the development of an internationally competitive service ICT industry, as well as participation in international events organised by both countries.
Foto: mit.gov.rs