Author: Christine Harutyunian

AGBU Joins Forces with EU to Boost Armenia’s Economy with Katapult Creative Accelerator Program

Christine Harutyunian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Latest, News, Top Stories

Official signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of RA, Ministry of Economy of RA, Ministry of High-Tech Industry of RA, the Delegation of the EU to Armenia and AGBU ArmeniaAs part of its longstanding nation-building efforts in Armenia, AGBU has joined forces with the European Union to help reimagine Armenia’s creative economy and transform it into a key strategic sector for advancing national and economic development.

Earlier this July, AGBU organized a press conference and public event in Yerevan to introduce the Katapult Creative Accelerator Program—a three-year EU-funded initiative to be co-implemented by AGBU Armenia and Creative Armenia. Its core activities are designed to harness the collective intelligence of the creative and cultural communities of the country which include members of the performing arts, sound recording, dance, theater, opera, ballet, live music, cinema, and filmmaking disciplines.  Visual arts encompasses museums, photography, fine arts, graphic design, and other two-and-three dimensional art forms. Also included is publishing—digital and traditional–as well as video game developing, retailing, advertising, architecture, and all media delivery platforms: radio broadcasting; TV programing/production; and social media.

Through strategic programs, investments, and policy development, Katapult will promote, connect, and empower Armenia’s rich and varied talent pool which has been markedly underutilized in Armenia for far too long. In tackling key issues plaguing this sector, especially infrastructural services, Katapult envisions a well-deserved boost in market share for a sector credited as the third largest employer in the EU.

Cultural Strategist and Project Lead Anna K. Gargarian Presenting Katapult Creative Accelerator Program and “THRIVE: Ecosystems for Creativity” Conference Launch Event

Highlighting the importance of the Cultural and Creative industries, Frank Hess, the head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Armenia, stressed Armenia’s potential economic gains from the sector, citing the impressive turnovers the EU realizes from its investments. “In the EU, the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) generate around €509 billion per year, representing 5.3 percent of the EU’s total GDP and employs 12 million full-time jobs, which constitutes 7.5 percent of the EU’s employment and the third largest employer sector in the EU.”

Katapult encompasses three of AGBU’s four pillars of activity—education, culture, and socio-economic development. AGBU Armenia believes that by investing in these areas, there is a real potential for job creation and innovation, which will serve as a primary driver of innovation and entrepreneurship. The program, which takes a full cycle approach from creative ideation through production to market distribution will promote creative talent and products through media partnerships, marketplace events and talk series. Katapult will also connect partnerships and promote networking across other economic sectors in addition to the worldwide Armenian diaspora. 

“We want to create sustainable livelihoods, drive the economy, and help position Armenia on the world map of creative ideas, products and talents,” AGBU Armenia President Vasken Yacoubian stated, adding that AGBU respects the knowledge and experience of the creative community in Armenia. The end goal of the program, he explained, is to build an industry that generates socio-economic vitality and affirms a strong civic identity, rooted in culture, for nation building.

Audience at the “THRIVE: Ecosystems for Creativity” Conference

The launch event featured the official signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Ministry of Economy, and Ministry of Technology, European Union’s Delegation to Armenia and the Armenian General Benevolent Union. Signatory parties committed to cooperate within the scope of the Katapult Creative Accelerator Program. 

Katapult is a three-year commitment by the EU, but AGBU and Creative Armenia are resolved to implement long-term projects with systemic impact to make fundamental changes to the creative ecosystem.

In order to set the tone for the systemic change to come, Katapult’s public launch included an open summit of international experts sharing their experience on system-building from the perspectives of education, business, regional exchange, IT and cultural policy. Guest speakers included Jaqueline Karaaslanian (LearningLearning Architects, MIT Media Lab), Thomai Serdari (Luxe Brands, NYU Stern school of business), Tamara Janashia (CUMA Labs Georgia), Narek Vardanyan (The Crowd Funding Formula), and Pat Cooke (University College Dublin, the Irish Arts Council).

By 2025, Katapult aims to incubate 135 creative businesses and projects via Creative Armenia’s Artbox, and support ten cultural institutions across the country through technical investments, international mentorship, and capacity building. Through Katapult Pavilion, Armenian designers, artists and musicians will exhibit their products to international markets at world renowned expos. Annual Katapult Talks will provide virtual and physical platforms for dialogue to connect global creative communities, and share experience on developing creative industries. Katapult research and the founding of a Creative and Cultural Industries Council will advocate for policy changes to incentivize support and investments in culture in the long term.

More information on Katapult can be obtained online. Details about the Artbox incubator for culture can be found at Creative Armenia, a global arts foundation for the Armenian people that discovers, develops, and champions innovative talent across the arts.


Turkish press: Putin, Pashinian discuss Karabakh developments

Christine Harutyunian
 ISTANBUL AUG 08, 2022 – 7:07 PM GMT+3

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (L) attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, April 19, 2022. (Sputnik via Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian discussed the developments in Karabakh and security issues on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Kremlin last week called for restraint from both sides after Azerbaijan said its forces had foiled an Armenian attack near Karabakh, formerly referred to as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan announced that it has regained control of several strategic locations in the Karabakh region, in a new escalation after Armenia attacked and killed an Azerbaijani soldier.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly pointed to Armenia's failure to meet the provisions of the Nov. 10, 2020 agreement signed by the two nations plus Russia, drawing particular attention to how Armenian armed groups have not yet pulled out of Azerbaijani territories in Karabakh, said a ministry statement.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian Army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.

In January 2021, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group in Karabakh.

After the conflict ended, Azerbaijan launched a massive reconstruction initiative in the liberated Karabakh region.

In July, Azerbaijan began the process of returning its people to land recaptured from Armenian forces in what Baku calls "The Great Return." The oil-rich country has vowed to repopulate the recaptured lands.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had for years promised to recapture lands lost in the 1990s and the first returns marked a symbolic moment for Azerbaijan.

“Residents forbidden to burn down houses”: about Karabakh villages that will come under Azerbaijani control

Christine Harutyunian

Aug 11 2022


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Towns in the Lachin corridor will be transferred to Azerbaijan

“When a new corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh is put into operation, the town of Aghavno will be out of Azerbaijan’s control,” Hayk Khanumyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, recently said.

This was in regard to the eviction of the Armenian population from Lachin, Sus and Aghavno (Zabukh), which are located in the Lachin corridor and will soon pass under the control of Azerbaijan. At the end of last week, it became known that on August 25 the Lachin corridor, which connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, and the surrounding towns will be transferred to Azerbaijan.

During the latest escalation, Azerbaijan, through Russian peacekeepers, demanded that Armenians vacate the Lachin corridor. According to the trilateral statement, which ended hostilities in Karabakh in November 2020, three years were allotted for the construction of an alternative road to the Lachin corridor. However, Azerbaijan completed construction on its side and demanded an urgent change in the route.

The new road connecting NK with Armenia will pass through the towns of Mets Shen (Metscaladeresi), Hin Shen (Kirov) and Aghavno. It will function according to the logic of the Lachin corridor; Russian peacekeepers will be stationed here. Part of the road on the Armenian side leading to Kornidzor has not yet been built. So, for now, everyone will have to drive on a four-kilometer stretch of dirt road.

After some silence, this situation was also discussed in Armenia. The ruling political forces stated that the Armenian authorities should not be blamed for Azerbaijani provocations. The opposition claims that “we are dealing with agreements [with Azerbaijan] reached behind the backs of the people.”

About the villages which will come under the control of Azerbaijan at the end of the month, why residents were forbidden to burn their houses before leaving, and how infrastructure problems will be resolved.

  • Why are Armenians leaving the Lachin region? Opinions from Baku
  • “No one is ready to lighten Russia’s burden”: on the Russian peacekeeper mandate in Nagorno-Karabakh
  • “Pretext for escalation”: Pashinyan on Baku’s actions and intentions
  • Renewed tension in Nagorno-Karabakh: Yerevan and Baku report

The fate of Lachin and the town of Sus was clear in November 2020. As for the town of Aghavno, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh have said until recently that they were negotiating to keep it under Armenian control.

“It is unlikely our compatriots will remain in Berdzor. As for Aghavno, we will continue our negotiations, our struggle,” President of the unrecognized NKR, Arayik Harutyunyan, said at the end of June.

Judging by how events unfolded, negotiations with Azerbaijan were unproductive.

According to Harutyunyan, “there are a hundred families in Berdzor, Sus and Aghavno. They have been preparing to leave. There is not much time – they must be ready by August 25. Where they will go is unknown.”

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Hayk Khanumyan visited Aghavno on August 5, where he discussed evacuation issues with residents. He announced the deadline for them to leave their homes. In protest, a group of residents of Berdzor blocked the road leading to the city.

Analysts do not consider the escalation accidental, tying it to Baku’s dissatisfaction with the negotiation process, and believe it to be directed against the activity of the West in the region

Those under eviction have been promised to be placed in other regions of Nagorno-Karabakh or in Armenia, specifically in the Syunik region.

“Families who move to the Republic of Armenia will receive a certificate for buying an apartment, and priot to that, compensation for renting an apartment,” said Hayk Khanumyan.

About 25-30% of the residents of Lachin, Sus and Aghavno expressed their desire to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Those inclined to move to Armenia proper aren’t sure that they will be able to buy housing for certificates of 10 million drams (less than $25,000).

On August 25, Azerbaijan will control not only the Lachin corridor, Berdzor, Sus and Aghavno, but also the infrastructure through which gas, electricity and internet are supplied from Armenia to NK. Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are told that these are temporary difficulties and new means will be found. But what will happen before that is still unknown.

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures said that work is already underway to lay high-voltage power transmission and communication lines. They are expected to be completed as soon as possible. There is no word yet on gas.

According to Hayk Khanumyan, even before the change of the corridor, most of the infrastructure passed through territory under the control of Azerbaijan. So, to resolve the issue, “negotiations and the active participation of Russian peacekeepers therein” are necessary.

The Armenian population of Karabakh has been deprived of gas since March 8 of this year. The damaged section of the gas pipeline, which supplies gas from Armenia, was located in territory that came under the control of Azerbaijan after the 2020 war. Azerbaijan did not allow it to be repaired. After ten days of negotiations, Baku restored the pipeline itself – but after the repair the blackouts began. In Nagorno-Karabakh, it is believed that a valve was installed on the gas pipeline during repairs.

“The goal of Iran and Russia is to oust Turkey from at least two geographic regions. One of them is Syria, and the other is Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijani expert Arastun Orujlu notes

Residents of Aghavno told reporters that they had been warned not to burn their houses down or they would not receive compensation.

Hayk Khanumyan stated that he is categorically against residents destroying their homes. He cited as an example the town of Charektar in the Shahumyan district of NK. Residents set fire to their homes, and later it turned out that the town would remain under the control of Armenia. Now millions of drams have to be spent on the restoration of Charektar.

He argues that it was for this reason that the inhabitants of Lachin, Aghavno and Sus were forbidden to set their houses on fire.

The minister also said that when the new route of the corridor connecting NK with Armenia is put into operation, the towns of Aghavno, Meghvadzor, Unanavan, Melikashen and Maratuk will pass back to Armenia:

“But everything there has been looted and burned, starting from the time of the first war and ending in 2020. If the housing stock had been preserved in that corridor, we could calmly resettle people today, but today there are only charred walls and ruins.”

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia makes a statement regarding the withdrawal of the Armenian Armed Forces from Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Hayastan opposition bloc (Armenia) issued a statement condemning the latest escalation, “Azerbaijani aggression”, and the defeatist attitude of official Yerevan. Oppositionists believe that as a result of this, “new towns are under the threat of eviction and their transfer to the enemy.”

The statement says that “the recent aggression is a manifestations of coercion, the power politics of Azerbaijan.” At the same time, Baku, according to the opposition, has once again violated the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020:

“The tripartite statement does not provide for the transfer of towns for the purpose of building a road, nor does it contain a provision that the new road should bypass the towns of Berdzor, Aghavno and Sus.”

The opposition regards the policy of the Armenian authorities as inconsistent and uncertain:

“There is no proper cooperation in any direction, whether it be with the peacekeeping forces, the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, or international structures in general.

“The current authorities, serving Turkish-Azerbaijani interests, in fact together with these forces, are expelling the Armenians of Artsakh from their homeland.”

Deputy Vahagn Aleksanyan answered on behalf of the ruling parliamentary party “Civil Contract”. He stated that the Armenian government should not be blamed for provocations committed by Azerbaijan.


https://jam-news.net/forbidden-to-burn-houses-about-karabakh-towns-that-will-come-under-the-control-of-azerbaijan/

ICRC Armenian Delegation: 303 people from Armenia reported missing from 44-day war

Christine Harutyunian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 11 2022
20:30, 11.08.2022

As a result of the 44-day war, 303 people from Armenia have been reported missing.

The press service of the Armenian Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross told NEWS.am. Four families applied to find out the fate of their missing relatives and 12 families found out the fate of their relatives. Eight meetings were organized with the families of 66 people who went missing as a result of the conflict in the 1990s.

Azerbaijani armed forces again breach ceasefire in Artsakh

Christine Harutyunian

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 13:28, 9 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. The situation at the line of contact overnight August 8-9 and as of 12:00 was relatively stable despite the remaining tension, the Artsakh Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

“In some sections the detachments of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces again violated the ceasefire, firing various-caliber small arms. Measures continue being taken together with the Russian peacekeeping contingent command in the direction of further stabilizing the situation,” the ministry said.

Armenpress: German MEP draws Borrell’s attention to the un-constructive behavior of Azerbaijan

Christine Harutyunian

German MEP draws Borrell’s attention to the un-constructive behavior of Azerbaijan

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 21:10, 9 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. Member of the European Parliament representing Germany, permanent member of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Lars Patrick Berg, addressed a question to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell regarding the escalation of the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. ARMENPRESS reports, citing European Neighbourhood Monitor, a number of other MEPs joint the question.

“While the world’s attention is on Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine, the situation in Nagorno‑Karabakh is deteriorating.

Azerbaijani troops attacked the village of Parukh on 24 March 2022 and violated the ceasefire on 28 May 2022, fatally wounding one Armenian soldier.

This happened one day after a crude statement from Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, who depicted the use of force as an attempt to enforce international law, claiming that the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict has been completely solved, making demands over the sovereign territory of Armenia and using harsh words, saying that ‘the Nazis in Armenia’ ‘should sit down and not look our way if they do not want their heads to be crushed again’.

These actions and statements openly go against the provisions of the ceasefire agreement of November 2020, as well as the spirit of the statement made after the trilateral meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan and the EU in Brussels on 22 May 2022.

We would therefore like to ask the Vice‑President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy what concrete steps the European External Action Service is taking to prevent a recrudescence of the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh and to continue a constructive dialogue between the parties”, reads the question.

In response, Josep Borrell said that the EU is deeply concerned by the recent incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the possibility of further escalation. The Commission regrets the loss of life.

“The EU takes a positive approach to the continuation of the trilateral talks led by the President of the European Council with the Armenian Prime Minister and the Azerbaijani President. These efforts have already produced numerous results, but a peace process is never without difficulties. The EU's goal remains to contribute to a comprehensive agreement for lasting peace and security in the region.

The High Representative/Vice President has been in regular contact with Armenia and Azerbaijan since the outbreak of hostilities. The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Conflict in Georgia has been involved in the preparation of the trilateral meetings and has followed up on the ground on the implementation of the agreements reached between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, most recently in early June 2022. On May 31, 2022, the Spokesperson for the President of the European Council issued a statement reiterating the need for a fair and balanced negotiation process and the need to prepare the population for peace. The President of the European Council also addressed both heads of state and government in early July 2022 regarding the recent sharp statements that are not conducive to the nature and spirit of the talks and expressed the EU's readiness to convene the next round of trilateral talks in Brussels”, reads the answer of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

Asbarez: Russian Border Guards Set Up Checkpoints In Meghri

Christine Harutyunian
by Contributor

 

 August 9, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Azatutyun.am graphic detailing Russian checkpoints in Meghri


YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Citing increased drug trafficking and other illegal cross-border activities, Russian border guards controlling Armenia’s frontier with Iran have set up checkpoints along several roads in the country’s southern Syunik province.

Images of such checkpoints along the road linking Meghri to other towns appeared on the internet earlier this week, raising speculations about possible preparations for the opening of transit routes for Azerbaijan via the strategic mountainous region.

Syunik is the Armenian province through which Azerbaijan expects to get a highway and railroad connection with its western exclave of Nakhichevan under the terms of the Russia-brokered 2020 ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the document, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is to ensure the security of traffic along the transport routes in Armenia for Azerbaijan.

Yerevan insists that it should maintain sovereignty over the roads, while Baku is seeking an extraterritorial status for them amounting to a corridor similar to the Russia-controlled Lachin corridor that connects Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.

At a government session on August 4, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again implicitly rejected the corridor logic for the unblocking of regional transport routes, saying that Azerbaijan even today can use all parts of Armenia, and not only Syunik, for transit purposes in accordance with Armenian legislation.

“We have been saying all the while that we are ready to provide this connection between the western districts of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan. We are ready to ensure this connection even today, but it is Azerbaijan that does not use these opportunities offered by us. Even today we say: come, cross the border of Armenia, go to Nakhichevan in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan spoke after the latest escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh in which at least two Armenian and one Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in fresh fighting near the Lachin corridor where Russian peacekeepers are deployed under the terms of the 2020 ceasefire.

Amid the escalation the authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh announced that several Armenian villages along the current corridor would be evacuated until September when Armenians are to start using an alternative road connecting Armenia and the Armenian-populated region.

Bagrat Zakaryan, mayor of Meghri, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Tuesday that the Russian checkpoints recently spotted in Syunik were actually set up several months ago. In total, he said, five such checkpoints were placed at roads leading from Meghri to several towns and villages in Syunik.
After media reports about the installation of new Russian checkpoints near Meghri, the FSB Border Guards Department in Armenia explained that it was done in coordination with Armenian authorities to prevent illegal cross-border activities.

“In order to expose, prevent and thwart cases of smuggling, illegal migration and other offenses, in accordance with the law of the Republic of Armenia ‘On the State Border’ and in coordination with the Government, the National Security Service and other competent bodies of the Republic of Armenia, a number of equipped positions were formed early this year for the implementation of the border control service,” it said.

According to the FSB, a tense situation has been observed recently at the Meghri section of the Armenian-Iranian state border due to increased attempts of illegally smuggling drugs and psychoactive substances from Iran to Armenia. Moreover, according to the Russian side, violations of the border by representatives of extremist and terrorist groups were also recorded.

“Last year, in the area of the border guard detachment of Meghri, Russian border guards arrested two armed persons who had a large amount of weapons and ammunition with them,” the FSB said.
Armenian government officials have not yet commented on the presence of Russian checkpoints along the roads in Syunik.

Meanwhile, Meghri’s mayor acknowledged that the checkpoints create certain problems for local tourism.
“Tourists have to go through passport control procedures before they can visit several rural areas here,” Zakaryan said.

Former MP: Armenian government meetings are held exclusively for Azerbaijan

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama
Armenia – Aug 5 2022

Former MP Sofia Hovsepyan has reacted to Nikol Pashinyan’s statements at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

“Have you noticed that Armenian government meetings are held exclusively for Azerbaijan?” she wrote on Facebook on Friday.

“The next steps are outlined or planned, the actions taken are reported," she said.

Hovsepyan pointed to Pashinyan’s statement on the road link between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan through Armenian territory. 

"I officially declare that there are no servicemen of the Republic of Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh," she quoted the premier as saying.

"And we silently record it," Hovsepyan added.

Urgent: 1 Artsakh soldier killed, 8 others wounded in Azeri UAV attack

Christine Harutyunian

URGENT: 1 Artsakh soldier killed, 8 others wounded in Azeri UAV attack

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 15:57, 3 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. One Artsakh soldier was killed and 8 others were wounded in the latest Azerbaijani attack, the Artsakh Ministry of Defense said.

The Azerbaijani forces used combat UAVs in the attack in the north-western section of the line of contact around 15:00.

4th annual “Global Innovation Forum” announces Dr. Noubar Afeyan as visionary speaker

Christine Harutyunian

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 13:08,

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. World-renowned entrepreneur, scientist, and co-founder of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), Dr. Noubar Afeyan visited Armenia this month to convey a motivational message to the organization and lend his support for plans to transform the country into an innovative hub. FAST hosts Afeyan as the ‘Visionary Speaker’ at this year’s Global Innovation Forum (GIF) in Yerevan, Armenia on October 5 & 6, 2022.

“If you have chosen the commitment to developing science, then you are soldiers building the future of the country,” Afeyan stated. Internationally recognized as co-founding the biotechnology company Moderna, Afeyan touched upon his own personal journey during a dynamic discussion with FAST employees. Afeyan described his family’s emigration and the tempestuous path of scientific breakthroughs that led to global success. He stated: “If you insist, persist and adapt, eventually, you break through. You then become the native of the new way. That same journey that immigrants go through to adapt and become a part of a new reality is what innovators do.”

Afeyan passionately spoke of the inevitable Truth and what humans must do to service the future despite countless challenges. “The end result is what we aim to achieve… that is most directly influenced by education, and new possibilities are most directly influenced by science, technology, and innovation.” Afeyan emphasized the important role FAST plays as an entity that pushes the envelope by building capacity, changing mindsets, and advancing projects in the Armenia’s developmental agenda.

As expressed by Afeyan, imagination and science are noteworthy when you believe in your findings. “Even though imagination in science is considered to be science fiction, during my 35-year experience in starting many companies and being involved in many innovations, I have learned that most breakthrough innovations are made through a combination of science and imagination. Maybe we should use both our ability to reason and to imagine to come up with major discoveries.”  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the pivotal focus at this year’s Global Innovation Forum (GIF) in Yerevan, Armenia on October 5 & 6, 2022. The two-day event organized by FAST is a unique platform that brings together scientists, visionaries, and thought leaders, both local and global, to discuss innovative trends and emerging challenges in science and technology. Afeyan is set to deliver a powerful speech as the ‘Visionary Speaker,’ joining colleagues from around the world to discuss and expand upon Armenia’s potential in multi-field applications of AI. The fourth annual GIF bridges science, government, international organizations, and financial institutions to draft solutions for the prosperous future of Armenia.