President made a statement at the opening of the economic forum in Kazakhstan: Everything starts with a vision

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Kasim-Zhomart Tokaev, today in Nur-Sultan participated at the opening of the 12th annual economic forum.

This year, the forum is conducted under the title “Inspiring Growth: People, Cities, Economies.” The forum is attended by the current and former heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, business leaders, economists who discuss the current global economic trends and structural changes. Keynote speakers of the plenary opening session of the forum were the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, first president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze, Managing Director and Chairperson of the IMF Christine Lagarde, First Deputy Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China Khan Chgen, and others.

Armen Sarkissian thanked the President of Kazakhstan for the invitation to the forum and spoke in particular about the significance of having a vision. “It all starts with a vision, a dream. I remember well the beginning of the 1990s when I came here for the first time. This was a small town in the heart of Kazakhstan. Now, it looks more like a nice setting than a city. But there was a dream, a vision which was created and implemented by President Nazarbaev. Only a couple of decades have passed, and see now what has happened to the dream and vision. Now, we are in the wonderful city of Nur-Sultan which, in a sense, is the heart of Eurasia. Everything really starts with a vision.”

Another vision, according to the President, is related to the kind of the world we want to live in next for the 20 or 30 years. “Do we want to live in a world which is divided, which has more and more “Berlin Walls’’, or in the world which is truly global? We are a global and integrated world already, and there is no way back. And it all started not 20 years ago but hundreds years ago when the first Silk Roads had been created. What is our vision for the next 20-30 years? To think about it, we need to go back 20-30 years and see where we were. Did you have those small gadgets that today rule our life, ranging from family photos to information and financial analysis? What will happen in 20 or 30 years when we will start using artificial intelligence which will change fundamentally, for instance, our healthcare system? Where will we be when communication becomes totally different, of a higher quality, when the entire industrial production will be linked to artificial intelligence and administration of huge volumes of information? Are we scared of all that? The answer is no, because in reality these are great advantages. They will not reduce the number of jobs in the world, on the contrary, they will increase them dramatically. This is a new era. This is the world we need to welcome wholeheartedly. Are we ready for that? I am not one hundred percent sure. Can we get ready for it? I am one hundred percent sure that we can. We need to get ready and need to focus on education, getting our children ready for the next stage of the real 21st century,” President Sarkissian underscored. In this words, the locomotives in the 21st century will be not the companies working with natural resources but those engaged in information and high technologies areas which focus on artificial intelligence.

“There are two factors in the base of this change. The first is the human factor. It means that the innovative humans will be at the origins of this change, those who possess the toolbox of the fourth industrial revolution, the toolbox which will allow any individual to be creative even from home. And this can change dramatically our approach to business, changing the way we are contributing to the economy. Individuals can engage in creative work at home or even at the coffee shop, through the startups. Look how the existing companies have been created: in a garage, in a coffee shop thanks to the dreams and practical innovations of the individuals. It means that in the 21st century, innovative and creative work will be the driving force. The second factor is the fourth industrial revolution however in this case I will insist that there is another revolution. We are moving towards the revolutionary evolution. The changes will not take place in 30 years; the world will be changing every day, and we should be ready for it,” the President of Armenia added.

Speaking about Armenia’s place in the global world, he noted, “I am looking at the future of my state and my people with positive sentiments and vision. Our small state, the Republic of Armenia, is the home to a global nation because in our country reside as many Armenians as in Russia, the second largest Armenian city after Yerevan is Los Angeles, millions of Armenians live in France and beyond, they are spread from Singapore to Argentine. Thus, we have a small country but a global nation. We are part of the 21st century and are integrated globally. I urge you all to do the same, to be globally integrated, creative and strongminded about the changes. Because this world will be changing every day, we must be ready for it. Everything starts with the young generation and education. Everything starts with a vision.”