Armenian PM: country’s future lies in high-tech industry

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan outlined the goals and priorities that face the country’s scientists.

“We have stated that the future of Armenia is in technology, and we hope Armenia’s particular scientific potential will ensure the realisation of this vision,” Pashinyan said at the National Academy of Sciences.

Government plans for science

Pashinyan considers it necessary to develop a stronger relationship between the state and the scientific sphere.

He claims science developed more rapidly in the Soviet years, since the state clearly understood what was required of science and scientists knew what they needed from the state.

He further said that it was necessary for Armenia to determine how science and the state can benefit each other.

“Armenia was considered the Silicon Valley of the Soviet Union, and I say this not to return to the past, but to emphasize the enormous scientific potential this country has,” said Pashinyan.

Integration of science and education

The prime minister said that during his international visits he will visit advanced European and world educational centres in order to implement their education strategies in Armenia.

“In the modern world one cannot imagine education without a powerful research component. Unfortunately, our current scientific system is definitely cut off from the university, and in the field of education there is an obvious lack of research. Our strategy should be to integrate research potential with the field of education as effectively as possible.”

Integration of science with the economy

The prime minister considers the integration of science into the country’s economy equally important – not just technology, but other fields of science as well.

“The issue is not only the integration of technical sciences into the economy. Practice shows that other fields of science can also be integrated into the economy to serve or contribute to the promotion of specific sectors of the economy.”

Research funding

The country’s government intends to finance all projects that can contribute to the development of science as well as to the country’s overall development:

“It is necessary to talk not about how much money is spent on a particular industry, but about what questions we are solving or can solve in the future. The question shouldn’t be whether or not there is funding, but rather what we want to see. If we clearly formulate our actions and desires, then funds will always be found, since what is more important now is Armenia’s future, not money … If scientific programmes produce results, even in the long term, they will be financed.”