The VI sitting of the Virtual Silk Highway NATO Science Committee Project and the VI meeting of IT specialists of Caucasus and Central Asia were opened in Ashgabat on November 19. The forum is organised by the Supreme Council for Science and Technology under President of Turkmenistan. The representatives of the science-educational networks of Caucasus, Central Asia and Afghanistan, IT specialists from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia, Belarus the authoritative international organisations, the scientists from the Eurasian universities and the representatives of the partner organisations included into the Turkmen science-educational network take part in the meeting.

Chairman of the Silk Board Professor Peter Kirstein delivered the welcoming speech at the plenary meeting. Highly appreciating the project outcomes in Turkmenistan the guest expressed sincere gratitude to President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov for assistance in organising the forum. The foreign scientist said that the Turkmen leader’s progressive reforms oriented to improvement and development of national science and education, broad application of advanced information and internet technologies nowadays created the favourable conditions for successful membership under the Virtual Silk Highway Project.

The participants focused on the project prospects including development, modernization and expansion of the internet networks in the partner countries, the important aspects of co-operation, intensification of scientific research and experience exchange and presented the reports on the work done.

The participants discussed the issues related to expansion of the national science-education network successfully operating in Turkmenistan. The project implemented under patronage of the President of Turkmenistan is coordinated by the Supreme Council for Science and Technology under President of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan partners with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan in the Virtual Silk Highway Project within the framework of the Science for Peace International Programme.

To date, the first project stage has been completed in Turkmenistan. Nowadays, the users of the national science-education network of Turkmenistan are 52 institutions including the national higher-educational establishments and research institutes, secondary and specialized schools.