Azerbaijan breaks ground for high-tech park

By AzerNews

The Azerbaijani Communication and Information Technologies Ministry reported that work on the construction of a high-tech park has started in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree last November to establish High Technology Park in the country.

The park supposed to be a territory, which has the necessary infrastructure, logistics, management structures for the preparation of new and high technologies, research in the field of energy efficiency, space and telecommunications, information technologies and communications.

According to the ministry, formation of the structure and defining of the sphere of activity are envisaged in the frame of works, which expected to complete by late this year.

High-tech park will be located near the capital and a relevant place of 20 hectares was allocated by the state for this purpose.

In the future, local and foreign IT-companies will be involved in the high-tech park's activity. Research companies, startup projects developers, production enterprises will be based in the park area. The park's residents will enjoy favorable conditions.

Earlier in April, the government passed a decision on which participants of the high-tech parks will be tax and customs duty-exempt for seven years.

One of the issues under discussion is to allow developers to operate outside of the park, to create conditions for development of the enterprises in the regions.

Azerbaijan is determined to strengthen the development of its economy, to transform it in to the innovation economy based on the high technologies.

ICT field plays one of the leading roles in the non-oil sector of the country's economy and the budget revenues it generates have been increasing year-on-year.

Earlier, Deputy ICT Minister Elmir Velizade said the creation of high-tech parks would encourage young programmers and promote the software market of Azerbaijan.

2013 was declared the Year of ICT in Azerbaijan and the ICT University was established under a presidential order on February 2.