The Iranian Minister of Information and Communication Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi left Tehran for Belgrade on Tuesday to advance the technology diplomacy policy at the official invitation of the Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia Dejan Ristic.
Hashemi's visit to Serbia is the first by a senior
Iranian official in the field of ICT to Europe in the last ten years.
This visit aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the
important fields of new communication and information technologies and
artificial intelligence, as well as to pursue the strategic plan of the ICT
Ministry for the development of international relations.
Hashemi will have two meetings and specialized negotiations
with his Serbian counterpart which will result in the signing of a joint
cooperation document in the field of information and communication technology
between Tehran and Belgrade.
The main provisions of this agreement are the development of
joint projects in the field of artificial intelligence, launching and
development of cloud infrastructure, and the exchange of technical knowledge in
the field of new technologies.
Visiting advanced data centers and artificial intelligence
in Serbia, as well as discussions with senior officials in the field of new
communication technologies, especially artificial intelligence, are other
programs of the Iranian ICT minister's three-day visit to Serbia.
The official meetings, discussions, and specialized meetings
are scheduled to familiarize the Iranian delegation with Serbia's achievements
in becoming one of the technological hubs of the Balkan region and to examine
common areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Hashemi’s meetings are planned at the highest diplomatic
level and reflect the determination of Tehran and Belgrade to transform
communication and technological cooperation into a fundamental axis in the
development of bilateral relations.
Serbia, as the gateway for the Islamic Republic of Iran to
Europe in the field of technology, can play a key role in the strategy for
developing the ICT ministry’s technology diplomacy.
The visit, experts hold, can be considered an important step
toward expanding Iran's technological presence in European markets and attracting
foreign investments in areas such as startups, cybersecurity, and
communications infrastructure.