Alexander Avanesov. On July 12, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian received the scientific leader of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna (Russian Federation), Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia Yuri Oganesyan.

According to presidential press office, Armen Sarkissian recalled that on July 11 he signed a decree on conferring citizenship of the Republic of Armenia to Yuri Oganesyan. Congratulating the well-known scientist, Sarkissian highly appreciated his contribution to the development of nuclear physics, noting that the country and the whole nation are proud of the scientific merits and achievements of Yuri Hovhannisyan.

The interlocutors discussed the implementation of the program for the production of radioisotopes and the creation of a diagnostic center.

Sarkissian welcomed the readiness of the famous scientist to promote the development of science in Armenia, as well as to contribute to the cause of education and progress of young scientists.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on the prospects for the development of science in Armenia.

Yuri Oganesyan is a famous Soviet and Russian scientist, an expert in experimental nuclear physics, an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a scientific leader of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna near Moscow. In honor of Oganesyan, the chemical element "Oganeson" is named in the periodic table.

Back in 1998, in response to the government's offer, the Dubna scientists Alexei Sissakian (now the late former JINR Director, Academician of the RAS – Ed.) And Yuri Hovhannisyan agreed to conduct a work to assess the potential of the Yerevan Physical Institute. Then the leaders of the world's largest scientific laboratories from Germany, France, the United States, Great Britain, Russia and other countries responded to Yuri Oganesyan's appeal. A commission of 9 leading scientists of the world was established, who after the evaluation proposed to the Armenian government, along with the direct appointment of a physical institute, to use its capabilities and infrastructure for other purposes. Thus, the idea of creating an excellence in the field of oncology was created on the basis of the Center founded in 1944, the part of funds from the work of which was to be directed to the continuation of fundamental research. "Not many people know that the Institute of Dubna has initiated the creation of the Center of Excellence, which is a concrete example of the transformation of fundamental science into applied science," Hovhannes Torosyan, senior scientific associate at JINR, said earlier in a conversation with ArmInfo correspondent. The scientist, expressing surprise at the fact that the creation of the center turned into an object of unfinished construction. "But on the basis of this cooperation it would be possible to form a powerful scientific cluster uniting the Metsamor nuclear power plant, JINR, the Armat Institute, the Institute of Physics, and other interested organizations," Hrach Torosyan stated.

The Prime Minister of Armenia recently expressed his extreme surprise at the "unfinished" center of excellence, who asked to find an opportunity to complete such an important project for Armenia, which has already been realized by 80% due to sponsorship and which the previous government deemed ineffective. Apparently, the arrival of Yuri Hovhannisyan in Armenia and set a goal to find ways to resuscitate and restart the program, from which the former authorities began to disband.

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna is implementing a number of programs in Armenia aimed at further developing the scientific potential in nuclear physics. The Institute, one of the founders of which together with other 18 states (Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Vietnam, etc.) is the Republic of Armenia, intends to implement a number of so-called collaborative programs. It is a question of creating a pool of scientific groups and laboratories that by joint efforts, exchanging knowledge and experience, while teaching young scientists, will set themselves specific goals in the field of fundamental nuclear research. This includes, among other things, the active use by scientists from different countries of the world of a new, modern electronic accelerator at the Kendl Institute for Synchrotron Research, which is indispensable in its parameters for some kind of research.