President meets with Global IT Award organizers

President Serzh Sargsyan met with the organizers of the Award for Global Contribution to Humanity through Information Technology (Global IT Award), which was established in accordance with RA President’s Decree.

First of all, the President thanked the organizers for the work done over the past eight years, and all those interested in the development of the IT sphere. Then, he wanted to know to what extent the award had served its purpose, whether it needed wider media coverage, what could be done to make it more effective and useful in the future, as well as to raise global awareness of our country, increase youth’s interest in and step up the development of the IT sector, considering that the latter is one of the key driving forces behind the economy.

The meeting participants agreed that they had achieved the proposed goals: over the past eight years, eight outstanding prize-winners from all over the world, who had been selected by the Selection Panel, visited Armenia. Their meetings with local IT specialists and youth have aroused great enthusiasm. According to the organizers, one of the goals was to increase the recognition of Armenia through the award as a center for high technologies. They pointed out that efforts are underway to make the award more effective.

The organizers were pleased that all the laureates had left Armenia with great impressions; some of them wanted to return; three of them continued to cooperate in a bid to strengthen ties with Armenia through practical steps. In particular, Cisco Company Development President Mario Mazzola has donated a large amount of money to the American University of Armenia, Director General of Kaspersky Lab Evgeny Kaspersky has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Armenian-Russian University to launch a new master’s program, ex-Executive Director of Hitachi Tsugio Makimoto has published a book entitled “Armenia as a country of innovations.”

The meeting participants reviewed the latest trends, challenges and the potential available in the IT sectors, and came up with recommendations regarding the sector’s development opportunities.