Minister Ivanovski meets Australian Senator Stephen Conroy in Ohrid

Minister of Information Society and Administration Ivo Ivanovski Monday held working meeting with Senator Stephen Conroy, who is Australia’s Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity.

The meeting, which was held prior to start of the conference of Broadband Commission for Digital Development, focused on challenges that two countries are facing with in development of broadband Internet.

The meeting once again proves Macedonian government’s efforts in strengthening the relations with the government of Australia. The experiences we have exchanged today will be enhanced in the future. Australia has already developed network of broadband Internet and is a leader in this sphere in the world. And we have proven with government’s projects as the market liberalization, underlying realization of projects for installing 680 wireless Internet access points in rural areas. And this project will be presented before participants in Ohrid conference, Ivanovski said.

This project will get Macedonia into the UN book as an example of successful stories and experiences that can be used by other states that are committed to development of this technology, Ivanovski said.

Conroy expressed great satisfaction for being first minister of the Australian government to visit the Republic of Macedonia since its independence.

The work of the commission is very important as its activity in spreading the message that broadband Internet will change the world we are living in, from the way we educate future generation to the way how health care worldwide will operate. We look forward in exchanging experiences, to learn from each other in this process of developing something new, Conroy said.

Ivanovski and Conroy are members of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which convenes its meeting for the first time in Ohrid, outside the UN offices in Geneva, Paris and New York.