BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BLAIR SAYS THEY TARGET ALL PUBLIC SERVICES TO BE MADE THROUGH INTERNET IN BRITAIN TILL 2005
ANKARA - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that they targeted all public services to be made on electronic environment in Britain till 2005 and stated that they could make cooperation in that field with Turkey.
''Turkey-Britain E-State Seminar'' organized by Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO), State Planning Organization (DPT), British Embassy and Turkey Informatics Association started in Ankara on Monday.
British Ambassador to Turkey Peter Westmacott conveyed Blair's best wishes to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who attended the seminar and read Blair's message.
Blair said in his message that he was pleased with British Embassy's and Turkish government's joint studies to support e-state policy goals in Turkey and noted that Britain targeted all public services to be made on electronic environment till 2005.
Noting that it was a very important project, Blair said that they recorded very important progresses on the issue, but they have not reached the targeted level yet.
The message noted that there were lessons which countries should learn from each other due to big problems in those kinds of projects.
It noted that this cooperation which we continued also in joint studies of public-private sector, privatization and human rights was a part of Britain's determined support to Turkey's accession process to the European Union (EU) and assistance to Turkey's adjustment process to the EU.
Westmacott told Prime Minister Erdogan that he, as British ambassador, and British government admired economic and political reforms in Turkey and said that he supported all those reforms.
ASO Chairman Zafer Caglayan said that economic and political problems in Turkey were stemming from delays in adjustment to changing world and country conditions.
Caglayan said that they considered e-state as one of tools of redevelopment of relations between the state and citizens and stated that however, it was not possible to solve all problems by e-state.
Stating that e-state was a process which had costs and political risks, Caglayan said that e-state should be taken into consideration to provide productivity.
He said that effectiveness and quality should be provided in public services for economic development.
Westmacott said that he was very pleased with the seminar's being organized by cooperation of Turkey and Britain.
He said that they aimed British people to reach health, education, transportation, social security, tax and justice services through internet.
Westmacott said that Turkey also had similar goals and added that Turkey and Britain could make cooperation in that field.
(EÖ-AÖ) 09.09.2003