YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian participated today in the Silicon Mountains technological conference in Yerevan, his Office told Armenpress.

The conference is dedicated to the smart solutions in information and communication technologies and the expected developments in the world market in the coming years. During the conference the ICT companies of Armenia and foreign experts will present the expected challenges to the business community and the public sector, will discuss the development directions of contemporary technologies.

Welcoming the Armenian President at the forum, chairman of the Synopsis Armenia Yervand Zoryan said being as a professor, a successful businessman and a diplomat President Armen Sarkissian managed to present Armenia’s technology industry to the world. “He is with us since Independence and brings his contribution to the development of the field by taking constant actions, bringing supra-national companies to Armenia and supporting our companies to be presented to the world”, Yervand Zoryan said.

Delivering welcoming remarks President Sarkissian said he fully supports all efforts directed for the technological development. “I liked the name of the conference – Silicon Mountains. I think today’s steps are the mountains, which one day will be merged and will become Silicon mountains”, Armen Sarkissian said. According to him, artificial intelligence, new technologies, machinery learning, math modeling are absolute priority directions for Armenia. “I have a dream and a vision to make Armenia a port in the ocean of the global data. We always state that Honk-Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and other places have succeeded. One of the reasons was that they had ports. If we go 150 years back, most of the global trade was carried out not via the Silk Road, but via ports. Countries which had an opportunity to build giant ports gradually became industry hubs. However, only having ports is not enough, it is necessary to work hard, unite and concentrate. We should concentrate our forces and efforts to move forward on the right track. These directions are the new technologies, artificial intelligence, machinery learning”, the President said. “There is a major competitiveness today, and we need to make a lot of efforts, work hard in order to win and build our own port in the technology sector. We can do a lot together both with our Diaspora compatriots and in Armenia as a state, a government, a private sector, with those Armenians who are already engaged in industry, and also those Armenians who will be engaged tomorrow. I believe that we can have Silicon Mountains because we are hard-working, honest and flexible people who survived difficulties and found the right solutions. It’s in our DNA. Everyone should bring contribution. We will succeed only when we unite, make efforts and form the priority for all of us – the development of new technologies, believing that Armenia can and should become a leading technological country of the world”.

He also talked about the presidential initiatives, in particular about ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) on science and technology development in Armenia. The President said it is expected to unite major companies such as IBM, Dassault Systemes, Thales Group, Electronica, within this initiative and create scientific-research centers with them. “In order to do this, we should establish ties with these companies, by becoming their partner, not the consumer of their products, in the fields of creation of new technologies, artificial intelligence, machinery learning. This is the goal of ATOM. We should bring them to Armenia, organize laboratories where new technologies will be created. All these companies state that they would like to work with us both in the field of research and education”, the Armenian President said.

The President invited the Forum participants to take part in the next Armenian Summit of Minds which will be dedicated to artificial intelligence and geopolitical risks. It is also expected to host the 6th STARMUS international festival in Armenia.

The next initiatives planned for the next year is the Horasis-China international conference dedicated to China within the frames of which nearly 300 Chinese companies will visit Armenia.

“I wish you good luck. I hope we will able to fulfill our dream together, that is to make Armenia a great international port in the ocean of the global data in the virtual and technology field”, Armen Sarkissian said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan