IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Azerbaijan's AFB Bank OJSC has started to issue e-references through the 'Electronic Government' portal (e-gov.az), the Information and Computing Center of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies told Trend Oct. 24.

One can use the service via "E-reference on citizens' personal data" section.

The ASAN Service and Azerbaijan's State Committee for Work with Diaspora will jointly provide services to Azerbaijani citizens living abroad, Trend reports.

This is envisaged by a memorandum of cooperation signed Feb. 15 in Baku by the Head of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations Ulvi Mehdiyev and Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora Fuad Muradov.

In recent years, formation of E-government is considered one of the factors contributing to further development of democracy in developed countries.

It became necessary to apply a unified approach and standards in the formation of state information resources and systems, their management and ensuring their mutual integration, as well as accelerating the transition to the digital government.

APA-Economics reports quoting the Ministry that the meeting was also attended by the representatives of various Swiss companies. Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technologies Elmir Velizadeh underlined the role ICT sector as other spheres in successful development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Switzerland.

Under the decree, the legal acts drafted by the Cabinet and central bodies of executive power are placed for public debate in e-government portal. A body defined as its main performer of the legal act is responsible for the development of acts. Independent experts can be drawn for examination of standard and legal acts and in this connection the period of drafting of these documents may be extended.

According to Ministry, the mobile version was especially optimized for portative devices, which was designed for comfortableness for view and saving internet-traffic.

A strategy for the development of information and communication technologies for 2018-2021 has been prepared in Azerbaijan, according to the concept and forecast indicators of economic and social development for 2018 and the next three years, submitted to the Azerbaijani parliament.

It is based on the national strategy for development of information society in Azerbaijan for 2014-2020, which envisages the formation of an effective mechanism to carry out reforms for the future development of industry.

The Mobile Certificate Center launched its activity on February 1. The Center has already started to issue mobile authentication certificates for use in mobile devices and tablet computers.

Thus, first applications for obtaining certificates were already received. Within the framework of a pilot project, citizens can apply to the central registration points to obtain certificates. Currently, technical and organizational work is being carried out in other registration points and after the completion of this work citizens may be able to use services at these points.

At a press conference Committee’s spokesman Fazil Talibli has said that currently the SCSMPA provides e-services on six directions of activity, and these services are included in the register of the Ministry of Communications & IT of Azerbaijan.

He added that some spheres of this sector needs assistance for growth.

“30% of telephone exchanges still remain analog. We need digital and Internet television system. We can also cooperate with Israeli companies in this field,” he noted.

New e-government portal (mygov.az) will be launched in Azerbaijan next month, Fariz Jafarov, Director of E-Government Development Center, told journalists, Trend reports.

He said that it would be possible to use the services of ASAN Pay on the new mygov.az website. Through the portal, citizens will have access to all the services of various structures and companies that connect to the system.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev has met with a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova for Digitalization Iurie Turcanu, who is on a visit to the country.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova in the field of ICT, innovations and cybersecurity. They also discussed issues of cooperation and exchange of experience in the fields of "e-government", "Smart city" and artificial intelligence, as well as development of human capital in the field of IT and innovations.

The State Service of Special Communication and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics (ICI Bucharest) of Romania have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation, News.az reports.

The memorandum, inked by Head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-General Ilgar Musayev and General Director of ICI Bucharest Adrian Victor Vevera, envisages conduct of joint research in the field of cybersecurity policy and development strategy, cyber diplomacy, cloud security, the Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity in smart city concepts, "Big Data", blockchain application in top-level domain systems, artificial and augmented intelligence.

Such a prospect has been announced today by Labor Minister Salim Muslimov at the seminar of the International Social Security Association on the theme "E-Services in the field of Social Protection: the Expansion of the Scale & Quality".

"According to the Ministry of Communications & High Technologies, in September alone people used e-government services 132,940 times, and 82% of such requests were made for the services of the Ministry of Labor & Social Protection and the State Social Protection Fund. In other words, data services of executive bodies are the most popular and require maximum availability and transparency. At that, the only question that needs to be addressed is readiness of other governmental agencies to full automation, to ensure the possibility for the Ministry and the Fund to get access to electronic databases of other agencies. In particular, it is necessary to provide such access to ID database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the bank database for getting information on deposits and loans in the appointment of targeted social assistance," Muslimov said.

The report says that the incomes from ICT sector rose 17.3% to $ 1.9 bln. In general, the revenues during past 5 years made $ 7.7 bln. In 2012, more than $410 mln was invested in ICT sector.

The Ministry says as continuation of the works carried out in this sphere, projects on the State Program on development of E-government and extension of e-services in the state bodies in 2013-2015, List of Information Systems and information reserves to be connected E-government portal and technical requirements for connection of information systems and reserves, e-services with the E-government portal have already been developed.

“At present, the most interesting question for all is the introduction of Mobile Number Portability System. Unfortunately, application of this system has already been delayed for a year. As to the promise of mobile operators, the system had to be applied from October 1. However, it still did not take place,” ICT Minister Ali Abbasov said.

Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev has said that the transformation of traditional cities into smart ones remains high on the Azerbaijani government's agenda for the future, Azernews reports.

He made the remarks at an ad hoc meeting of ministers responsible for the ICT of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which was held in Baku in the framework of Teknofest.

AMC chairman of board Rahim Huseynov informes that the Society, as a partner in conducting the business polls, can guarantee full objectivity of the research and rise in country competitiveness level reflects real estimations of the business environment by the business society.

Abbasov noted that at present, all executive authorities have joined e-government portal. In general, cases of portal access and utilize are increasing.