Bulgaria's Transport Minister Nikolay Vassilev discussed possible cooperation between the Ministry and US leading software producer Microsoft, at a meeting with its Vice President Pete Hayes on Saturday.
Hayes, who is currently in Sofia to attend celebrations of the 100th birth anniversary of computer inventor John Atanasoff, and Vassilev discussed the possibility for Bulgarian students to undergo training at Microsoft. The company was also invited to assist for building high-tech studying centers at Bulgarian universities.
A joint conference for high technologies development may come into effect at the end of this year or the beginning of 2004, officials from the Ministry said. The Bulgarian minister also handed Hayes a letter of invitation to Microsoft President Bill Gates to visit Bulgaria.
Gates personally sent Hayes on this trip to pay tribute to Bulgaria-descended John Atanasoff, who gave birth to the field of digital computing. Late Atanasoff's son and other family members also arrived in the country for the celebrations.