Moscow, Russian Federation, hosts joint XLIV session of the Board and 19th meeting of the Operations Committee of the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications


November 15-16, 2016

Following an invitation from the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, official representatives of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, DPR of Korea, Cuba, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic met in Moscow for the joint XLIV session of the Board and 19th meeting of the Operations Committee of the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications (Intersputnik, Organization). The joint event was timed to the 45th anniversary of Intersputnik. The opening ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Rashid Ismailov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov, First Deputy Minister of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus Dmitry Shedko, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic Jiri Koliba, Chairman of the Communications and Information Technology Authority of the Government of Mongolia Chinbat Baatarjav, Head of the Directorate-General for Innovation, IT and Communications Policy of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany Stefan Schnorr, and other guests of honor.

In his welcoming address Mr. Ismailov emphasized that he was convinced that the experience of international cooperation accumulated by Intersputnik would facilitate continuing efficient interaction and exchange of industry practices among the Member-Countries of Intersputnik.

Mr. Ryabkov presented a letter of congratulations from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, where it was pointed out that over the last years Intersputnik had gained much experience, established itself as an influential international organization, which shaped a broad context of modern telecommunications, and as one of the most important suppliers of satellite capacity.

On the occasion of the anniversary Intersputnik received a large number of congratulatory messages, including those from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations –Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna,
Director General of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO), SecretaryGeneral of the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO), and other partners.

The delegates to the joint session unanimously elected Gennady Kudriavtsev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian Federation on the Intersputnik Board, Chairman of the Board – the highest governing body of Intersputnik – and thanked the outgoing Chairman of the Board Dmitry Shedko for efficiently managing the Organization.
 
Another important event during the joint session was the election of Intersputnik’s Deputy Director General. Two candidates were nominated for this senior position: by the Republic of Azerbaijan – Mr. Mir-Heydar Ismayilov, Assistant to the Advisor on Science, National Aviation Academy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and by the Republic of Bulgaria – Mr. Svetlomir Stoychev, Intersputnik’s Finance Director. Both candidates won widespread support among the delegates to the joint session. However, neither candidate managed to win two thirds of the votes required for decision-making by the Board. Therefore, the election to the office of Intersputnik’s Deputy Director General was declared void.

Within the framework of the approved agenda the Board and the Operations Committee reviewed a wide range of issues related to Intersputnik’s current operations and plans for the future. The delegates reviewed information on the performance of Intersputnik and the Isatel group of companies during the reporting period, discussed how financial targets for 2016 would be met and approved the finance plan for 2017. Much attention was paid to the development of Intersputnik’s international satellite telecommunications system. The key goal is to procure Intersputnik’s own space segment based on new spacecraft and use the Organization’s orbit and spectrum resource to the maximum possible extent. The delegates were provided with information on progress in the implementation of joint satellite projects and prospects of cooperation with new partners with respect to satellite networks not used earlier. Concluding the joint session, the Board and the Operations Committee noted the considerable personal contribution made by several representatives of the Members and Signatories of Intersputnik and rewarded them with the Organization’s honorary diplomas.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic invited the Board and the Operations Committee to meet for the next joint session in Prague in mid-2017.