Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the 16th award ceremony of the RA State Prize for Global Contribution to High Technologies. The event was also attended by RA President Vahagn Khachaturyan, RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachaturyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, members of the executive body, and representatives of the high-tech sector.
The Prime Minister presented the RA State Prize for Global Contribution to High Technologies to Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors Vincent Roche. In his speech, the Prime Minister congratulated Vincent Roche on receiving the RA State Prize and noted that, in the modern, technological world, the activities of our award winners are part of our daily lives. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of meetings and conversations with award winners in developing Government policies. “When asked what the Government of your country has helped you with, in all cases, I received one answer: education. The Government has provided us with education: general, higher, and postgraduate. Perhaps our conversations with the award winners on the occasion of the ceremony also influenced our current focus on education. Of course, our experience, knowledge, and practice have also led us to the following: today in Armenia, there is practically no issue that cannot be solved through education, be it foreign policy, domestic policy, construction, humanitarian sphere, or social,” the head of state said.
In the context of overcoming poverty, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of providing education because poverty alleviation changes little in these people's lives, whereas receiving assistance becomes the norm for them. “In many cases, we have condemned the children of these families to poverty because we did not notice that there is no school in their village, there is no kindergarten in their village. And this is why we are convinced that if we want to solve social problems in Armenia, then there is one way to solve the problem of poverty - it is education, because today in Armenia we must look for the reason why 80% or more of the people living in poverty are poor in the education they received or did not receive.”
According to the Prime Minister, this award ceremony and the award winners compel the Government to focus increasingly on the problems of the education sector. In this context, Nikol Pashinyan touched upon the “Academic City” program and noted that, despite the disbelief of many, it will become a reality. “I hope that by the end of the year, by the decision of the Government, we will approve the Master Plan of the Academic City and move on to the implementation stage.”
Once again congratulating the 16th laureate of the RA State Prize for Global Contribution to High Technologies, Vincent Roche, the Prime Minister noted: “Your presence encourages us to be more creative, more optimistic, and to believe in our own strengths, following your example.”
