President participated at the formal session dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the RA Academy of Sciences

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan participated at the formal session dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the RA Academy of Sciences at the A. Spendiarian Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater.

The President of Armenia congratulated the attendees on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Academy and decorated a group of the employees of the RA Academy of Sciences with high state awards – orders and medals and honorary titles for their input and outstanding services in the area of education and sciences.

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Congratulatory Address by President Serzh Sargsyan on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the RA Academy of Sciences

Your Holiness,
Distinguished members of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I congratulate you on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Academy. Establishment in 1935 of the Armenian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences truly opened a new and glorious page in the history of development of the Armenian science. It was the beginning of the road which the generations of talented scientists would travel. They not only traveled down that road but also crowned with glory their names and the name of the nation which begot them.

Pioneering sciences in Armenia have greatly promoted our country’s economic and social development, ranking the Soviet Armenia among the countries with strong scientific and industrial base. The Academy has formed an impressive army of the intellectuals who represent social and precise sciences which in turn has transformed the mentality of our entire nation.

The collapse of the USSR and the ensuing transition period was a difficult period for all, including for our scientific structures. We had inevitable losses. It’s a fact, not matter how difficult it is to admit. Today, our most critical task is to modernize the scientific infrastructure. In the contemporary world, it is primarily scientific achievements that sharply accelerated all, even political processes. It means that we shouldn’t slow down on the road leading to the reformation of the area of sciences.

I believe it is crucial that the reforms should be genuine reforms also with regard to the resolution of the social problems of the science workers. We should be able to prevent worsening of the science workers’ social conditions because of the changes and modernization of the area; on the contrary. I am confident that in our society the high social status of the scientists ought to be reestablished as well as their high repute and great standing. This is essential for the encouragement of the growing generation. Our children should be willing to become scientists.

Dear Attendees,

It is quite natural that times bring new opportunities, and I am speaking about the growing opportunities for international scientific cooperation. Science even in the wealthiest countries of the world is unthinkable without international cooperation. It is simply impossible in the contemporary world. All the more so in our case: we must be interested in and dramatically expand our scientific international cooperation. If we are stating proudly that in the context of Soviet-era cooperation we were able to achieve impressive results, we should be able to do the same in the context of the contemporary multilateral cooperation. In my opinion, the prospects for Armenia’s scientific development lie in the circle of such cooperation. We don’t have other prospects. However it doesn’t mean that our scientific community doesn’t or cannot have domestic customers. In this sense, I deem as important cooperation of the Academy’s scientific structures and individual scientists with the representatives of the economic and, particularly, industrial circles.

Dear Scientists,

I once again congratulate you on this great jubilee. In seventy years, your predecessors and you have accomplished the unbelievably huge amount of work which in my conviction is to be called scientific heroism. I wish you to fittingly carry on with the glorious traditions of the National Academy of Sciences, make it proud with your new achievements and experience, educate and form new generations of the Armenian scientists for the glory of our country and the Armenian Science.

Thank you.