site.btaNational "бг" Domain Approved by ICANN

National "бг"
Domain Approved
by ICANN


Sofia, October 14 (BTA) - The national "бг" domain was formally
approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN), the Ministry of Transport, Information
Technologies and Communications (MTITC) said on Tuesday.

A report, drafted in the course of registration of domains in
alphabets, different from the Latin one, says that the
combination of letters that will symbolize Bulgaria ("бг") does
not resemble visually already existing domains. The registration
was delayed so far due to fears that the "бг" domain has very
close similarity to the Brazilian domain "br".

Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and
Communications Nikolina Angelkova said on the occasion: "The use
of the Cyrillic alphabet on the Internet is a serious step
towards affirming our cultural identity." The decision will help
local people, who do not know well the Latin alphabet, navigate
easily through the web, she added.

Also on Tuesday, MTITC and ICANN signed a cooperation agreement.
The document regulates joint actions in the management of the
Internet names in Europe as well as the training of Bulgarian
experts in Internet management. ICANN President Fadi Chehade
commented that this is a recognition for the ICANN mission and
demonstrates support for the participation of all interested
parties in the Internet management. He voiced hope that
cooperation with Bulgaria in the field of Internet-related
policies would continue. /TK/