THE NEW ECONOMIC ORDER: "INFORMATION ECONOMY"

The certificate ceremony of Habitat IT Academy which is established in partnership of State Planning Organization, the United Nations Development Program, Umraniye Municipality, Youth for Habitat Association and the Microsoft Turkey, was held in Istanbul with the participation of the Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis.

In his speech at the ceremony, Minister Bagis said that the State Planning Organization which had been underestimated by the Liberal Democrat Party and some other circles in the past created the fastest growing economy of the world and it became a well performing institution either.

Stating that their proposal of organizing the Habitat II City Summit for the first time in Turkey 'was rejected' at the beginning Minister Bagis said, "As a result of the success achieved with the Habitat II Summit, Turkey hosted OSCE Summit, UN and NATO Summits. Turkey also co-chairs the Alliance of Civilizations Initiative.

Minister Bagis expressed that Turkey had been late in its transition to industrialization and therefore it was working fast and resolutely to make up the difference, and continued his words as follows:

"Progress is the engine of the information economy. In this context, the faster we are, the more successful we become on making up our country's differences in other areas. Information economy will be the economic order which will open the doors of the EU. If we take the necessary steps concerning information we can eliminate our deficiencies in other areas as soon as possible. We completely quit flogging a dead horse and continue to do what we have been doing for nine years. On this basis, we also become a country having internet connection in its villages."

Indicating that Turkey became a country preceding Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania and Slovakia in terms of R&D expenditures, Minister Bagis said that in 2002 there had been 2 techno parks in Turkey in the past but now that number increased up to 39.

Source: AA