Nikolai Nikiforov: All of the BRICS countries are interested in IT cooperation

All of the BRICS countries are interested in cooperation on information and communication technologies, Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov said at a briefing as part of the first day of the Meeting of the BRICS Communications Ministers.

"Today, information technologies are a driver of economic growth for all [of the BRICS countries], without exception," he said.

According to Mr Nikiforov, an element that hinders the development of the IT industry in the BRICS countries is the global monopoly of a few large companies and the United States in software and related fields. "One of the key issues on the agenda concerns what joint efforts should be taken, without introducing any sanctions, so that national IT companies of the BRICS countries could take their rightful place on the market of the BRICS countries and, ideally, on the global market," the Russian minister said.

Mr Nikiforov also said that the first day of the event was held as an IT forum, where leading specialized companies from the five states presented their initiatives and developments.