President Armen Sarkissian met with the heads of a number of leading Swiss companies: “A nation or a person with no mission is lost”

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Switzerland on a working visit, today had a working lunch with the heads of a number of the leading Swiss companies.

The meeting was organized by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services. The Director General Vincent Subilia noted that Armenia has great ambitions to become a leading country in technology and innovations. “It’s a great honor to receive the President of Armenia in the Geneva Chamber of Commerce which for 115 years has been providing counsel to the business community,” the Director General of the Chamber said. “Last year, I had the honor to visit your country and listen to your wonderful speech at the TUMO center, at the economic forum which took place in the framework of the Summit of Francophonie. It was pivotal for comprehending what Armenia can offer to the world.”

Vincent Subilia added that he read carefully President Sarkissian’s interview to Financial Times and is confident that Armenia is truly a startup country of the 21st century. According to Mr. Subilia, a meeting with the President of Armenia is a unique chance to listen to him and to speak about opportunities of the two countries and perspectives of cooperation.

“Please feel at home here, in Geneva. You are a scientist, and now you’re at the internet’s native land; you are also a gifted diplomat while Geneva is the center of global governance. And I am confident that because of these two factors you can call Geneva your home,” Director General Vincent Subilia said. In his remarks President Sarkissian stressed the importance of having a mission for peoples, nations, and countries in this world and noted in particular, “A nation or a person with no mission is lost. Missions bring people together to achieve success.” In this context, speaking about Armenia, President Sarkissian said, “I, for instance, have a mission to work together with UNESCO to make the Matenadaran – the institute of ancient manuscripts, the greatest international center of ancients cultures and manuscripts. Another mission is to rebuild the second city of Armenia, Gyumri which was devastated during the 1988 earthquake. I would like to bring it back to life, to boost tourism because Gyumri is a wonderful city which has a unique culture.”

The President of Armenia told about two more initiatives. One of them aims at making Armenia a hub for new technologies and science. “The future in every area – agriculture, space, food production or watch making will be based on new technologies,” President Sarkissian said. “I wish, I dream, I have a mission to make Armenia a hub for artificial intelligence and new technologies. In this, we can be successful. The other program is called ATOM. It will be in a form of a scientific park where children will come. Another part of it is the Museum of the Future.” President Sarkissian said that a tentative agreement has been reached with a number of leading companies – Dassault, Thales, and works are underway with Safran, Leonardo, Elettronica, universities of Heidelberg, Cambridge, and Skolkovo. President Sarkissian’s another mission is to make Armenia a food security hub.

“It doesn’t mean that we will be producing much good but rather will become a hub where food can be assembled. Armenia is a member to the EUEA, logistical conditions are being created with China in the framework of the One Belt, One Road program,” President Sarkissian said. The participants of the meeting discussed the opportunities of cooperation with Armenia during the ensuing Q&A session.