President Armen Sarkissian's working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan

President Armen Sarkissian, who is the Republic of Kazakhstan on a working visit,  met with the President of Kazakhstan Kasim-Zhomart Tokaev.

President Kasim-Zhomart Tokaev thanked the President of Armenia for accepting his invitation and his participation at the annual 12th economic forum which this year is titled “Inspiring Growth: People, Cities, Economies.”

“Your participation is, undoubtedly, will make the economic forum even more momentous. Our countries have friendly and partner relations, President Nursultan Nazarbaev stands at the origins of that relations. He paid constant attention to the development of the relations with Armenia, and today we can state confidently that the relations between our two countries rest on a very solid base. We also cooperate closely in the framework of regional and international organizations such as the UN and CSTO,” the President of Kazakhstan noted.

President Sarkissian thanked for the invitation to participate at the forum and noted that he was happy to be in the capital of Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan, which is bearing the name of the first president Nursultan Nazarbaev and who made a considerable contribution to the development of his own country and the development of the Armenian-Kazakh relations.

“Our peoples have been interacting for centuries. Relations between our states have historically deep roots and present a bright example of friendship and cooperation. We live in the 21st century which is very different from the 20th century. And in this context, I believe that cooperation Armenia and Kazakhstan could go even further in the economic area, including new technologies, as well as in the cultural area,” the President of Armenia underscored.

The Presidents of Armenia and Kazakhstan referred to the issues related to the cooperation of the two countries at the bilateral level as well as in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Area and CSTO. They stressed the importance of deepening the cooperation in the trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian areas.

The Presidents highlighted the role of the Armenian community of Kazakhstan from the viewpoint of strengthening and developing the traditionally formed friendly relations between the two countries. President Tokaev spoke warmly of the

Armenian community and noted that they are praiseworthy citizens of Kazakhstan and bring their contribution to the social and economic development of the country.

 

***

 

In the framework of the 12th annual economic forum, President Armen Sarkissian met today in Nur-Sultan with the Managing Director and Chairperson of the IMF Christine Lagarde. President Armen Sarkissian hailed the cooperation between our country and the mentioned financial institution.

The parties exchanged views on the possibilities for broadening the existing cooperation and underscored that there is a great potential to do it. Noting that our country has a mature banking and financial systems, President Sarkissian spoke of the concept to make Armenia a financial hub and opportunities to achieve it. It will allow to make our country not only more attractive but also to offer high-quality and more efficient services.

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the capital of Kazakhstan on a working visit, today in Nur-Sultan met with the Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze.

President of Armenia and Prime Minister of Georgia exchanged views on the agenda of the Armenian-Georgian bilateral relations and stressed the importance of deepening the efficient cooperation even further.

The parties concurred that cooperation in all areas, from cultural, scientific, modern technologies, energy, infrastructure, and tourism, have a huge potential, and everything must be done so that the two friendly nations enjoy a deeper and mutually beneficial cooperation.

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Kasim-Zhomart Tokaev, today in Nur-Sultan participated at the opening of the 12th annual economic forum.

This year, the forum is conducted under the title “Inspiring Growth: People, Cities, Economies.” The forum is attended by the current and former heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, business leaders, economists who discuss the current global economic trends and structural changes. Keynote speakers of the plenary opening session of the forum were the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, first president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze, Managing Director and Chairperson of the IMF Christine Lagarde, First Deputy Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China Khan Chgen, and others.

Armen Sarkissian thanked the President of Kazakhstan for the invitation to the forum and spoke in particular about the significance of having a vision. “It all starts with a vision, a dream. I remember well the beginning of the 1990s when I came here for the first time. This was a small town in the heart of Kazakhstan. Now, it looks more like a nice setting than a city. But there was a dream, a vision which was created and implemented by President Nazarbaev. Only a couple of decades have passed, and see now what has happened to the dream and vision. Now, we are in the wonderful city of Nur-Sultan which, in a sense, is the heart of Eurasia. Everything really starts with a vision.”

Another vision, according to the President, is related to the kind of the world we want to live in next for the 20 or 30 years. “Do we want to live in a world which is divided, which has more and more “Berlin Walls’’, or in the world which is truly global? We are a global and integrated world already, and there is no way back. And it all started not 20 years ago but hundreds years ago when the first Silk Roads had been created. What is our vision for the next 20-30 years? To think about it, we need to go back 20-30 years and see where we were. Did you have those small gadgets that today rule our life, ranging from family photos to information and financial analysis? What will happen in 20 or 30 years when we will start using artificial intelligence which will change fundamentally, for instance, our healthcare system? Where will we be when communication becomes totally different, of a higher quality, when the entire industrial production will be linked to artificial intelligence and administration of huge volumes of information? Are we scared of all that? The answer is no, because in reality these are great advantages. They will not reduce the number of jobs in the world, on the contrary, they will increase them dramatically. This is a new era. This is the world we need to welcome wholeheartedly. Are we ready for that? I am not one hundred percent sure. Can we get ready for it? I am one hundred percent sure that we can. We need to get ready and need to focus on education, getting our children ready for the next stage of the real 21st century,” President Sarkissian underscored. In this words, the locomotives in the 21st century will be not the companies working with natural resources but those engaged in information and high technologies areas which focus on artificial intelligence.

“There are two factors in the base of this change. The first is the human factor. It means that the innovative humans will be at the origins of this change, those who possess the toolbox of the fourth industrial revolution, the toolbox which will allow any individual to be creative even from home. And this can change dramatically our approach to business, changing the way we are contributing to the economy. Individuals can engage in creative work at home or even at the coffee shop, through the startups. Look how the existing companies have been created: in a garage, in a coffee shop thanks to the dreams and practical innovations of the individuals. It means that in the 21st century, innovative and creative work will be the driving force. The second factor is the fourth industrial revolution however in this case I will insist that there is another revolution. We are moving towards the revolutionary evolution. The changes will not take place in 30 years; the world will be changing every day, and we should be ready for it,” the President of Armenia added.

Speaking about Armenia’s place in the global world, he noted, “I am looking at the future of my state and my people with positive sentiments and vision. Our small state, the Republic of Armenia, is the home to a global nation because in our country reside as many Armenians as in Russia, the second largest Armenian city after Yerevan is Los Angeles, millions of Armenians live in France and beyond, they are spread from Singapore to Argentine. Thus, we have a small country but a global nation. We are part of the 21st century and are integrated globally. I urge you all to do the same, to be globally integrated, creative and strongminded about the changes. Because this world will be changing every day, we must be ready for it. Everything starts with the young generation and education. Everything starts with a vision.”

 

***

 

In the framework of the 12th economic forum held in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, President Armen Sarkissian met with the founder of the famous German Schneider Group Ulf Schneider. The Company has an office in Yerevan and aims at providing services in the area of business development and invigoration of the investment flows, especially in the area of information technologies.

Ulf Schneider noted that the company is interested in expanding its activities in Armenia and viewed as an important advantage of our country the fact that Armenia is a member to the Eurasian Economic Union, has good relations with the EU and can serve as a natural bridge between our region, Europe, and the Eurasian area. “This opens new opportunities for foreign investors and businessmen,” he underscored.

The President of Armenia and founder of the Schneider Group spoke about investment opportunities and agreed that there exists a great potential for augmenting the areas of cooperation and deepening the existing ties. Ulf Schneider noted as prospective the cooperation in the areas of new technologies and pharmaceuticals.

The German Schneider Group has been providing services in the area of business development for the last 15 years. Services include works on strategies for entering the markets, accounting, counseling on taxation and export issues, legal counseling for arbitration issues, as well as different legal issues in the areas of labor, contract, and corporative law.

 

***

 

In the framework of the 12th economic forum in Nur-Sultan, President Armen Sarkissian met with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the famous Nokia company Risto Siilasmaa.

Speaking about rapid changes taking place in the world, President Sarkissian said that the world was changing fast because of technologies which means thanks also to the companies like Nokia. The President noted that Armenia is a platform for innovations and startups, and that the country’s future is closely tied to new technologies. The interlocutors stressed particularly the role of the educational system and assessed it as the base of everything.

Noting that our country inherited from the Soviet Union a rather good educational system, President Sarkissian underscored that at the same time Armenia is open for everything new. “We attach special importance to education, science, technologies, and encourage young people to come up with new ideas, master new technologies, and create startups,” he underlined.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nokia said that he was greatly interested in the opportunities for the development of the technology sector in Armenia. He noted that in the rapidly changing world, successful are the countries which set a strong base for these changes.

President Sarkissian suggested that the leadership of the company visits Armenia to see firsthand and discuss the prospective areas for cooperation.
Nokia Corporation specializes in the production of devices for telecommunication, information technologies, electrical appliances. The company attaches great attention to finding new technological solutions and their application in their products.

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan on a working visit, visited the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC).

Accompanied by the manager of the Center Kayrat Kelimbetov, President Armen Sarkissian toured the international center, familiarized with the objectives of its activities, principles, and perspectives. Noting that activities of this financial hub are based on the principle of the British law, Kayrat Kelimbetov said that this fact makes the Center an exceptional institution not only in Kazakhstan but also throughout the Eurasian area.

President Armen Sarkissian spoke with the management of the Center about the opportunities of cooperation. Kayrat Kelimbetov in his turn noted that they too wish to cooperate with Armenia and work together in the areas such as assets, management in private law, and financial technologies.

President Sarkissian said he was impressed with the activities of the Center and added, “There is a vision to have a similar center in Armenia also, to establish general cooperation with you. We need to look into that. I am greatly impressed and will share my impressions with the Government and the Central Bank. We need to start thinking what we can do together.”

He noted that Armenia, a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, also has close relations with the European Union and thus might become a bridge which in case the cooperation will have a positive impact on the activities of the AIFC.

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Kazakhstan on a working visit, in the framework of the 12th economic forum in Nur-Sultan participated at the discussions on the Risks of Collapse of the Global Cooperation Structure.

The topics of discussions pertained in particular to the new geopolitical changes and challenges, possible consequences of the new technological revolution, and the balance among the seemingly irreconcilable contradictions.

Responding to the questions, Armen Sarkissian noted that the world is changing rapidly, however there is no need to be afraid of that changes since they create new opportunities. “Those, who have a precise vision, know what they do, whose who live in harmony with the reality, will win. For me, this is not a threat, this is an opportunity to build a wonderful world in which we will live. This world is full of challenges but this is an interesting world,” the President of Armenia said.

He expressed confidence that the 21st century is the century of Armenians. “We are a global nation, we can change, adapt, we are innovative,” Armen Sarkissian said and noted that he was very optimistic about the future.

Responding to the question on the revolutionary evolution, President Sarkissian noted that technologies were changing and the world would be different. “I am confident that somehow we will be able to find solutions for the current problems we face. Different countries are developing at different speed, develop different branches. And if we focus on the new generation of technologies, artificial intelligence, management of large amounts of information, biotechnologies, in several years it will be much easier to navigate in this world which is full of uncertainties.”

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Kazakhstan on a working visit, in Nur-Sultan met with the representatives of the Armenian community. Present at the meeting were also our compatriots from Uzbekistan.

President Sarkissian hailed the input of the Armenian community to the development of Kazakhstan. “It is very important that you are good citizens of Kazakhstan, but, at the same time, don’t forget the religion and culture you represent, you need to represent your nation proudly,” President Sarkissian noted.

Armen Sarkissian underscored that in the 21st century, the most important resources are not natural resources but human resources. With this regard, he stressed the importance of using potential of Spyurk and the unity of the Armenian people. “Our strength is in our unity. We need to learn to live together and help each other. We are small in numbers but we are a nation and have to support each other. Our national unity comes first. There is no other way to reach success. This is one of the prerequisites of success,” President Sarkissian said.

The President of Armenia highlighted the honest and dedicated work as another prerequisite of success. At the same time, Armen Sarkissian stressed the importance of providing the new generation with the best possible education as a guarantee of a stronger and more confident future. “We possess a great treasure, it is human treasure, it is you and your children. The next generation is very important for me. We need to educate our children properly starting from school. As President, I see it as my duty to lead the people with certain, clear-cut visions. And the first among those vision is that in our country attention towards the children must be paramount. Today’s child tomorrow will become the defender of Fatherland. To be able to defend our country tomorrow, they need to master up-to-date technologies because defense will be not with gun machines but with drones. And to do that they will need a proper education. Armenia must manufacture its own drones. To be able to manufacture drones, we need a high-class educational system, starting from kindergarten to university,” President Sarkissian said.

The President of Armenia stated that the 21st century will be the century of Armenians, and we have both opportunity and potential to become a successful nation.
At the conclusion of the meeting, President Armen Sarkissian listened to the representatives of the Armenian community and responded to their questions.

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian met  with the Chairperson of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Dariga Nazarbaeva.

At the meeting discussed were issues pertinent to the deepening of cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries, as well as the development of the relations in the economic, cultural, and humanitarian areas.

Dariga Nazarbaeva thanked the President of Armenia for the participation at the Eurasian Media Forum to be held in Almaty and support to the Forum. “You have done a lot for promoting this Forum among the Western media communities,” she noted.

Dariga Nazarbaeva informed that they want to deepen relations with the National Assembly of Armenia and to use potential of the friendship groups in its full. The interlocutors spoke also about the perspective areas of cooperation between the two countries. President Sarkissian noted that the bilateral relations and cooperation possess a great potential. “The current volume of interaction is very small and doesn’t reflect the existing potential and relations of the friendly countries in our economic area,” he said.

Armen Sarkissian stressed in particular the importance of deepening cooperation in the areas such as information technologies, artificial intelligence, and food security.

At the request of Dariga Nazarbaeva, President Armen Sarkissian spoke also about the internal situation in Armenia. He underscored that the Armenian people have wisdom to overcome difficulties and to move smoothly on the new road of development.

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Kazakhstan on a working visit, today met with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin.

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan thanked President Sarkissian for his participation at the 12th economic forum and expressed confidence that visits such as this one promote the development of the relations between the two countries. “Potential for the development of the trade and economic relations between our countries is great but it is not yet fully utilized. We have a great desire to develop our economic relations in all areas of mutual interest,” Askar Mamin said. President Sarkissian noted that he was glad to discuss prospects of the economic cooperation between the two countries with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

President Sarkissian and Prime Minister Mamin viewed as promising especially areas of agriculture, information technologies, energy, infrastructure, education, and tourism.

Prime Minister Mamin in his turn noted that he was interested with a full-fledged cooperation with Armenia is these and other areas and was ready to discuss in detail all possibilities for cooperation.

At the request of Prime Minister Mamin, President Sarkissian spoke also about the internal situation in Armenia.

 

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian met aslo with the First Vice Prime Minister of Kazakhstan-Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov.

The parties discussed issues related to the development of the bilateral economic cooperation. They noted that a great potential for a mutually beneficial cooperation exisits in a number of areas and its efficient utilization might boost the economic ties between the two countries and increase the turnover.The interlocutors spoke also about the issues of economic cooperation in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

 

***

 

President Armen Sarkissian participated at the opening of the 16th Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty.

This annual forum, which this year is conducted under the title “The World Today: Transforming Reality?”, has gathered under one roof over 600 participants from nearly 60 countries, and among them state and political figures, economists, Noble Prize winners, entrepreneurs, and experts. Armen Sarkissian is a co-founder of the Eurasian Media Forum.

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kasim-Zhomart Tokaev, the Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko, and the mayor of Almaty sent their welcoming addresses.

President Armen Sarkissian congratulated those present on the commencement of the works of the 16th Eurasian Media Forum. He underscored that he had his input to the creation of the Forum at the beginning of 2000s. “I could call this Forum an institute which has a huge impact not only on the field of journalism but also on the concept of Eurasia and the entire media field. When I think of the Eurasian Media Forum, I naturally think of a couple of ideas, notions. First of them is called Eurasia. What is Eurasia? It is not only about geography but also a great history of civilizations born thousands of years ago. Some of them didn’t live to get to our times, some of them became truly powerful current civilizations,” President Sarkissian noted. He underscored that today Eurasia is a major center of development and global events.

“Speaking of Eurasia, one cannot leave out Kazakhstan because today it is not only physically but politically and economically is located right in the center. It is not accident that the ideas of economic cooperation were born here and became a reality in the post-Soviet area. Eurasian economic cooperation has become a reality which, we hope, will become another bridge to serve the main idea we cherish: Friendship of the peoples, cultures, and civilizations. I want to see the day when the Eurasian economic cooperation and the European Union will start serious negotiations on a deep cooperation,” the President of Armenia said.

Armen Sarkissian spoke also about the second notion, the media, and noted that in recent years, the notion of the media has undergone serious changes. “Years ago, speaking about media forum, we would view that forum as a platform for journalists. But now, look how the media has changed in 20 years. Now, speaking of the media, we are not thinking of journalists only. I believe the future of the Eurasian Media Forum is the real media, the virtual life which we live.

Each of us, several hours of our live, some even more, spend in the virtual realm, which has become much more comprehensive than simply news, journalism, or broadcasting. It has become part of our life. This is a small tool of the industrial revolution, or its product which includes information about our life, our relations, our photos, our banking, family, or economic ties,” President Armen Sarkissian noted. He underscored that this virtual life is changing our perception of different things, for instance, when we engage in science, education, healthcare, economic as well as politics.

“The role of the media, virtual area has a great impact on the creation of politics, ideas, on their becoming a reality. The media, which we had 20 years ago, is not the one we are having today. The media has become the second virtual world in which we live. It is having a greater and greater impact on the real world in which we exist physically and in a sense, they are merging. Very important human values, including how we treat this planet, or democracy, have changed. We need to get ready for the world which we will have 20 years from now,” the President of Armenia said.

And as the third notion he mentioned the Forum and thanked the organizers, particularly, Dariga Nazarbaeva and the government of Kazakhstan. “Quite naturally, the Forum are the people who created it. I would like to thank you all, all those who created this Forum, and wish us all that the Forum has a long life because problems we are facing, the humanity is facing are immense and are changing by day,” President Armen Sarkissian said at the conclusion of his speech.

***

 

In the framework of the 16th Eurasian Media Forum, President Armen Sarkissian participated at the “Globalization: The World in the Search of New Development Models” discussions.

At the beginning of the discussions, speaking about the idea of deglobalization, President Armen Sarkissian noted that he didn’t believe in that notion.“Globalization is not over yet, it will go on and will happen even faster. It has not started today, years or decades ago, it started hundreds, thousands years ago with the Silk Road or even earlier. At that time, the world had already was globalized and globalization scenarios were different. Today, globalization continues,” he noted. Armen Sarkissian agreed with the participants of the discussions that there were difficulties for the process of globalization at different levels, and today the most significant problem pertains to the management of that process.

“Armenia is a small country but a global nation, and I believe we will become the nation which knows how to adapt. A nation, which throughout its history had gone through the unimaginable tragedies and started a new life. It is an important quality in the new world which has less certainty and more uncertainties,” the President of Armenia said.

He underscored that Armenia has always been and remains at the crossroads. “Armenia is a crossroad. For that very reason, our country learned to work with everyone, has close relations with the Russian Federation and members of the Eurasian Economic Union. But, at the same time, Armenia has signed the agreement with the European Union, and there is no contradiction there. Moreover, Armenia has an advantage, and the international community should use this advantage because Armenia is the only country which has deep relations with the EU, as well as with Russia and Eurasia. So, why not to use Armenia’s opportunities as a bridge?” President Armen Sarkissian noted.

The President of Armenia responded to various questions of the participants. In particular, referring to the observation that the social media could replace the traditional one, he noted, “I don’t think so. Eventually, they will merge. The one will not replace the other, rather the two of them will become one entity.”

The President noted that in the globalized world social networks unite people. He spoke of the quantum nature of politics and noted that the contemporary political figures are using the new tools – social networks, properly. Responding to the question on the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President Armen Sarkissian said that currently the two countries are conducting negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the NK conflict.

He reminded that from the Armenian side the negotiations are conducted by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the Azerbaijani side – by President Ilham Aliev and Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country. “I bring my full support to a peaceful settlement of the conflict. However, this issue doesn’t distance Armenia from international relations, or the opportunity to serve as a bridge between Eurasia and the European Union,” President Sarkissian noted.