On 18 January 2005 Dr. Yuri Grin, General Director of Department for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF had a meeting with Tatiana Ershova, Director General of IIS. The discussion covered dimensions for possible cooperation in the sphere of implementing international projects. Among them the participants outlined the following areas:

• Preparation to the second stage of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);
• Participation in and support of the activity of UN ICT Task Force.

Dr. Grin stressed the importance to promote participation of Russian civil society organizations in the international activity in the sphere of Information Society development and evaluated positively the contribution of IIS to the development of international cooperation. One of dimensions of IIS activity is supporting activity of UN ICT Task Force Europe and Central Asia Regional Network.

On behalf of IIS Ms. Ershova expressed willingness to fully support the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF in this sphere of activity. In particular, she outlined the possibility of participation in organizing Moscow-Bishkek conference in preparation to WSIS. Besides, she shared the plans for drafting analytic report on e-Readiness of Eastern Europe and Central Asia region and representing it at WSIS in Tunis in November 2005. Dr. Grin supported the idea and expressed readiness to contribute to its implementation.

Ms. Ershova also suggested that the Ministry of IT and Communications of RF should participate in the organization of an international conference “Information. Knowledge. Development”, which is to be held in September 2005 within the context of preparation to WSIS. Shortly after the meeting the Department for International Cooperation of the Ministry will receive a set of documents for coordinating aims and objectives of the conference, its participants and main parameters of the program. The conference will be positioned as a regional event of the Global Knowledge Partnership.

Ms. Ershova and Dr. Grin stressed the importance to draft a plan of events in preparation to WSIS presupposing cooperation of IIS and other civil society organizations with the Ministry of IT and Communications of RF.