President of Armenia said something which no other state leader has ever said – “You can. Just start swimming” La Repubblica

On June 16, the prominent Italian La Repubblica newspaper in its article titled “A station named future” told about the new lifestyle imposed on the societies by the spread of coronavirus, existing challenges and difficulties, and in that context presented the viewpoint of the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian.

The author Riccardo Luna writes in particular that economic decline is expected all over the world, governments are designing new kinds of benefits and new pension systems to help vulnerable social groups and the unemployed. “It looks like we are powerless,” the author writes and adds that he is impressed with the words of Armen Sarkissian, the President of Armenia.

“The President of Armenia is a former physicist, in his young years he was one of those software engineers whose efforts made Tetris computer game a world success. Later, for many years, he was Armenia’s Ambassador to London and, finally, became the President of Armenia – a vibrant country of three millions in the Caucasus with a very small economy,” he goes on. “Armen Sarkissian says that this crisis is a catalyst for future, that e-governance can change country’s performance, for instance, distant learning and healthcare will be in a greater demand, and that we should not stop fighting climate change. The President of Armenia said one thing that no other state leader has ever said and which is the exact opposite of the words “you are powerless”. He says, “You can. Just start swimming.” In a word, Armen Sarkissian says that at the moment rather than thinking about subsidizing industries, governments should be promoting the creation of new jobs. Startups, and not only. New enterprises. Now is the time to act. Move forward. Clear the skies.”