Tuesday, October 30 2018 10:41

ArmInfo.Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had working dinner with members of the Board of Trustees and Advisory Council of the Armenian Foundation for  Science and Technology (FAST), which features scientists, engineers  and entrepreneurs from around the world.

As the press service of the Prime Minister informs, addressing those  present, Nikol Pashinyan stated, in part:

"Honorary members of the Trust Board of Trustees, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am glad to welcome the Innovative Forum's organizers and participants.  It is symbolic for me to address you from this podium, because by saying innovation people often mean  technology or the quasi-technological sphere. But I believe the  concept of innovation refers to everything from politics and  management systems to education and technical progress.

After all, what is innovation? The art of doing the same thing better  and more effectively. The art of formulating, nominating, and  implementing previously unknown goals that are impossible.  Those who  are in the new dimension of mind are those who see a very clear way  out of the deadlock, perceiving the impossibility as an exceptional  opportunity. They are making political, economic, technical and  informational innovations. We have always had such people in our  country. After all, Armenia was considered to be the former Soviet  Union's Silicon Valley where Nairi-2, the Soviet-era first computer  and one of the first in the world was manufactured.

Today, there are even more such people in Armenia and thanks to them  we are considered to be a country that has its unique place on the  world map of information technologies. The IT sector grew five-fold  over the past seven years in Armenia with an annual rate of about  25%.

The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is an educational program  that is acknowledged worldwide as an Armenian brand. It has already  been introduced in a number of developed countries, such as France,  Russia, and Germany. At the same time, we give schoolchildren the  opportunity to study robotics in ARMAT laboratories. The Internet is  available today in most of the Armenian population in all regions.

And let me say that in the light of these technological and  innovative changes, a political innovation - an unprecedented  nonviolent, velvet, popular revolution appeared to be possible in our  country that took place in April-May this year. I mean, the  revolution would have been impossible if the internet network had not  been so developed in Armenia.  The revolution would be impossible if  such a revival of engineering work in Armenia was not so many  citizens and young people involved in IT, with intellectual,  financial and civic independence.

And let me say that in the light of these technological and  innovative changes, political innovation has become possible in  Armenia, an unprecedented nonviolent, velvet, popular revolution in  our country that took place in April-May of this year. I mean, the  revolution would be impossible if the internet network in Armenia was  not so developed.

The revolution would have been impossible if we had not boasted such  a drastic revival of engineering work in Armenia; if so many citizens  and young people had not been involved in IT activities with  intellectual, financial and civic independence.

The revolution would have been impossible if our schoolchildren had  not broken down the old stereotype of ordinary student in TUMO and  other such centers.

By the way, I have repeatedly stated that a key factor in our  revolution was the unprecedented high level of women's involvement in  political processes. Here, I would like to cite some statistics.   Women's involvement in the IT sector is around 10% in the world.  Armenia's IT sector boasts three times as many women engaged in IT  activities, about 33%. This is a pretty good figure.

And therefore, let me say that the Armenian people has already proved  to be an innovative nation because I think that the non-violent,  velvet, popular revolution was a world-class political innovation.

Here, I wish to make a special mention of FAST Foundation's  innovative activities, which is believed to be a unique platform that  unites educational organizations, leading IT companies and  professional associations, as well as communication operators under  its umbrella to make of Armenia a leader in the field of innovations.  This is quite an ambitious target, and I am happy that it has been  set as a benchmark. 

Armenia's current potential enables us to implement programs both  with our compatriots from Diaspora and international organizations  and - why not - with the IT giants. We are launching exciting startup  projects to create ecosystems, incubators, including sustainable  development laboratories.

The Francophonie Summit's main focus was to promote women' and  youth's involvement in the sphere of digital technologies. Artificial  intelligence, cyber security, block-chain and semiconductor  technologies are among our priorities.

We are committed to further expanding cooperation with our partners,  which should be done with your assistance by using forums like this  as a platform.

In this era of digital revolution, the role of physical boundaries is  gradually diminishing. This is particularly relevant to Armenia. Our  neighbors' policies and the confrontation of political interests on  the global scale have made of Armenia an isolated enclave, and the  advanced technologies seem to be our only gateway to the outer world.  Therefore, it is crucial for us to broaden that gateway. As one of  the tech giants Steve Jobs used to say, innovation breaks down with  the leader and the followers. Those present here have crossed that  borderline through innovation and were promoted into leaders from  their status of a follower.

Hence, our collective task is getting evident, that is to overhaul  Armenia from a follower country into a leading nation. And I am  convinced that we can do it together", the Acting Prime Minister  concluded.