Working visit of the President Armen Sarkissian to the State of Qatar

President Armen Sarkissian, who is the State of Qatar on a working visit, met  with the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Qatar Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah.

At the meeting discussed were issues related to the strengthening and development of the relations between the two countries. It was noted that there is great potential for cooperation in a number of areas. Mentioned were in particular prospects of cooperation in the areas of science, technology, and education, as well as opportunities for implementing joint programs. 

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Qatar at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha was present at the opening of the prestigious Doha Forum in Doha.

President Sarkissian is expected to make a speech at the plenary session of the Forum.

This reputable Forum, which unites political and economic leaders of the world, representatives of prominent international organizations and experts, this year is conducted under the title of “Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World.”

Among the participants of the Forum are the President of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame. Nearly 250 speakers from different countries of the world and close to 3000 participants of the two-day Forum will discuss the global development trends and issues related to the creation of efficient governance structures in line with the contemporary demands.

Among the partners of the Forum are renowned international organizations such the Munich Security Conference, Chatham House, and International Crisis Group.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the State of Qatar on a working visit, in Doha met with the Head of Regional Portfolios of the Qatar Investment Authority Sheik Faisal Thani Al Thani.

At the meeting the parties discussed avenues of cooperation with Armenia and opportunities to implement investment programs.

Speaking about the investment opportunities and competitive advantages of our country, President Sarkissian noted that opening of the Embassy of Armenia in Qatar, elimination of the visa regime as well as a direct air link create good prerequisites for invigoration of the business contacts between the two countries.

The representative of the Qatar Investment Authority noted that their structure too, is interested in the development of economic ties with Armenia and is ready to cooperate with the relevant structures in Armenia.

The Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar’s state investment foundation which implements investment programs in the country as well as beyond. The main areas of the investment activities are real estate, securities, and others. The Qatar Investment Authority manages assets close to 335 billion USD.

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President Armen Sarkissian, at the invitation of the Emir of the State of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani participated at the prestigious Doha Forum and made a statement at the plenary session of the Forum.

This year the Forum is titled “Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World” and is dedicated to the issues of shaping efficient governance mechanisms in the rapidly changing world.

President Sarkissian in his statement highlighted the development trends of the world.
“The reality is that the world is not only multipolar but much more complicated than we expected. Along with the complicities of the multipolar world there are also multiple questions which remain unanswered. Uncertainty is much greater than certainties, unpredictable events are greater in number than those which is possible to predict and taken corresponding steps,” the President noted. “Why all this is happening? In a sense, at the moment we are at the crossroads of times and through the gates of that times we are entering a new era.”

According to the President, today along with a natural and real life there is also a virtual life which creates a totally new and different environment of a quantum nature: old paradigms are not applicable any longer for politics and security strategies, and it is necessary to take into consideration the realities of the new world.

“At this point, I would like to refer to the importance of the “small.” All examples I presented were about “the power of the small”: one or two talented individuals create huge multifunctional companies. One or two politicians, who have great energy and understand what goes on in the world, using global, social networks can carry out a revolution, becoming next leaders of their nation. There are countries which were not well-known in the world, but having a powerful military force, created their own military tools, which can be as efficient as those of the superpowers,” President Sarkissian underscored. “That “small power” starts from individuals, motivated people which come up as an entity with a good motto, one target, and one mission in their lives: the same is true for countries. There is no doubt that this world is multipolar. And not only superpowers but also small and successful countries have their own “powerful voice.” I am glad that this simple idea or message is being delivered here, in Doha. Qatar is the perfect example of a small country, which is not only beautiful but also successful. There are many other countries in this “gulf” which are equally successful. Among them Singapore which has a great influence on the global prospects. Another one is Rwanda whose president is here. These are small countries but they have a precise vision, know exactly their advantages and turn them into a success. Other countries, such as Qatar, not only use natural resources but employ them to build the future. That future will be based not on natural resources but on education, artificial intelligence, creation of a new data, and technologies.”

Speaking about Armenia, President Sarkissian noted that with this regard country too, has certain advantages. “In this new world, our country too, has advantages. It is not only our millennia-long cultural heritage or our roots but also the fact that we attach the utmost importance to education, science, and technologies. We have been able, for instance, to create a scientific and educational system which we currently export to the developed countries such as France, Germany, Great Britain,” the President noted. “Armenia is a country which has a very clear-cut advantage: we are a small country and people but a global nation. The number of the Armenians living all over the world is four to five times bigger than those living in Armenia proper. Those are survivors – people who were able to change their lives according to the environment. They are good citizen of the countries they live in. This is very important for the president of Armenia, to understand that Armenians in different countries of the world manifest themselves in the same way they do in their own country. This is a capacity, which I hope, will put Armenia on the list of the successful countries. Yes, there is no doubt that the world is complex and multipolar. The world is so complex that we have to call it quantum. We have to understand that this new world connects very quickly with new technologies. This is a new world where small can be beautiful and powerful. I wish all small countries understand that they can be small but also powerful.”

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the State of Qatar on a working visit, met in Doha with the representative of the Qatari Businessmen Association Ihsan Valis Alkhiyam.

Discussed were issues related to the cooperation between the businessmen associations of Armenia and Qatar, as well as opportunities of implementing mutually beneficial projects and investments in different areas. Mentioned were in particular the areas of science, education, technologies, food security and supply, tourism and some others. The parties stressed the importance of more active reciprocal visits between the business communities of the two countries and exploration of each other’s capacities for the future efficient cooperation.

The Qatari Businessmen Association is a non-governmental organization which unites companies and entrepreneurs from different areas. They work not only in Qatar but also abroad. The state encourages the activities of the Association.

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In the framework of his working visit to the State of Qatar, President Armen Sarkissian met today in Doha with the CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker.

At the meeting discussed were prospects of the company’s cooperation with Armenia. Welcoming the establishment by Qatar Airways of a direct air link between the two friendly countries and successful cooperation, President Sarkissian suggested to look into the opportunities of increasing the number of flights and proposed to view Armenia as a probable transit country for connecting flights. The CEO of Qatar Airways expressed readiness to examine the possibilities of expanding cooperation with our country and noted that cordial relations between the two nations and between President Armen Sarkissian and Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani create a good base for the future cooperation.

The parties also exchanged views on the Company’s activities, problems, and forthcoming projects.

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In the framework of his working visit to Qatar, President Armen Sarkissian met in Doha with the Minister of Transportation and Communications of the State of Qatar Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti.

At the meeting discussed were issues related to the development of the Armenian-Qatari relations in the areas of high technologies and communications. President Sarkissian noted that both Armenia and Qatar, being small countries, attach great importance to the development of the technological area and in this context their cooperation has great potential.

The interlocutors exchanged also views on the avenues and opportunities for cooperation.

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During his working visit to the State of Qatar, President Armen Sarkissian participated at the round table discussions of the Munich Security Conference dedicated to the regional security issues. The discussions were held in the framework of the Doha Forum.

At the discussions, which were led by the President of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, participated also the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the US State Department Denise Natali, renowned experts of the security area.

During the round table conducted under the Chatham rules, President Sarkissian and Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the State of Qatar Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah made statements and responded to the questions from the audience.

President Armen Sarkissian received an invitation from Wolfgang Ischniger to participate at the annual meeting of the Munich Security Conference and to present his theory on the quantum nature of the global risks.