The world is changing and to be successful we too, need to change: President Armen Sarkissian participated at the webinar titled “The World After the Pandemic: Transformation Scenarios”

President Armen Sarkissian participated at “The World After the Pandemic: Transformation Scenarios” webinar which was initiated by the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) in cooperation with the Futures Studios discussion platform.

Webinars with the participation of statesmen, leading specialists and experts from different areas allow to conduct open discussions to find solutions in different situations, in this particular case, to overcome the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Founding Director of FAST Armen Orujian noted that it is useful to listen to the opinion and approaches of President Sarkissian, who has extensive experience in the scientific, diplomatic and international cooperation areas, regarding the situation created by the pandemic and avenues to overcome it.

In his remarks President Sarkissian first urged everybody to take the situation very seriously, “Remember that the coronavirus has not disappeared yet, it still exists and is very dangerous, extremely dangerous for vulnerable individuals. I ask you to be serious about this problem. This seriousness is necessary not for one or two weeks but for a much longer period of time. It means that discipline is very important.”

The President noted that the pandemic is not only a health problem, it is a much more complicated issue. He reminded of the historical episode when in the XII century the first sultan of Egypt and Syria Salah ad Din conquered Jerusalem. He remarked that conquering Jerusalem was nothing but also everything for him. “What is this coronavirus? Just another virus, nothing in principle but it has acquired global significance. The question is, why? It’s a peculiar virus, but just a virus, nothing. But at the same time, it has changed the world. This virus from nothing has become everything. Everything has changed in a very short period of time. It has made a huge impact on the global economy, culture, and has a great impact on our future plans.”

The President said that the world was destined to change regardless of the coronavirus. “The coronavirus is not the reason for change, it’s only a result of the change. It is very important to understand that the coronavirus has reached this scale because we changed. The coronavirus is only a reminder, a cold shower or a message from God that something on this planet is wrong and it must be seriously analyzed at every level. The message states that the world will not be the same,” Armen Sarkissian noted. “In the eyes of a scientist, this is only an experiment. This is a test for being human. This is a test for businesses and culture. This is a test for the needy, for governments, also from the viewpoint of interstate relations, and it will continue. I think that the world has changed, and if we want to be successful, we have to change too.” Responding to the question on the rehabilitation of the economy after the coronavirus, the President noted that the pandemic would undoubtedly hinder advancement but after the pandemic there should be new approaches in ecology, business activities, healthcare system and other areas.

“When the coronavirus reached Armenia and the government introduced restriction measures, the number of the cars in Yerevan reduced, the air quality has changed, Yerevan became five times more observable because the pollution has subsided. We were breathing polluted air, probably we were eating unhealthy food, were investing in an unhealthy economy,” President Sarkissian said. “My conclusion is the following: it is the time to see the results of the test, to think properly and timely where to invest because there will be other pandemics too, probably in another form and name. If we are not ready again at the level of state structures, scientific community, and business, this time we may lose thousands, even million lives, will not be able to understand where we are going. Thus, we need to learn lessons from this pandemic.”

Speaking about the anticipated fundamental changes at the global as well as the national level, President Sarkissian observed that multiple global risks, including pandemics, were manifesting not the classical but quantum behavior. He noted that with or without the coronavirus, the world is moving fast toward changes. “With regard to changes, in Armenia we should think about a number of areas. A country like Armenia will need to create a working group which should work on boosting investments in Armenia,” he said. “After the pandemic, people will try to find new, interesting spheres for activities. All these ideas, which emerged before the pandemic, disappear little by little while it is very important for the new world to communicate, to maintain connections and tell who we are and why people should make investments in Armenia. That’s why I call it fast investment task force or investment boosting task force which will be doing dual work. On one hand, it will be a structure which will be promoting investments in the country in a traditional way, presenting Armenia to the world; on the other hand, the structure will be helping novice Armenian companies. Through the efforts of that organization the entire world will learn about Armenia.”

As for the development of concrete areas, President Sarkissian noted that after the coronavirus we need to work more diligently on the introduction of e-governance. “Those countries, which have been able to enhance, successfully use and implement e-governance tools, are much stronger and resilient. Singapore is a good example. Before the pandemic, 20 thousand people in that country were working from home and during the pandemic the people were ready to withstand future risks. Working from home wasn’t anything unusual for them. It is not only about creating an environment and tools but also relates to the enhancement of information technologies. By boosting e-governance, we promote the development of IT while the highest level for its development is artificial intelligence. Great efforts should be made in Armenia for the development of information technologies and mathematical modeling.”

Armen Sarkissian said it was necessary to be very serious in setting priorities which should pertain to food security, IT, and biotechnology areas.

The President noted that after the coronavirus he would resume the ATOM presidential initiative, which is aimed at bringing international corporations to Armenia, creation of laboratories working on artificial intelligence since it would be the main tool in the areas of food security, agriculture, interstate relations, fight against the coronavirus, development of biotechnologies, healthcare and others.

According to the President, science will be one of the most attractive and interesting areas for investments and cooperation. It will be interconnected with technologies and will show the way toward the future. President Sarkissian spoke also about the Moderna Therapeutics pharmaceutical company of Nubar Afeyan, who is a co-founder of the FAST, which is planning to speed up the production of a potential vaccine against the coronavirus. Noting with satisfaction that our compatriot is on the frontlines of a scientific discovery, the President stressed the importance of establishing and re-establishing the relations with our compatriots in Diaspora, with the scientific community. “Armenians, those very professors, who once used to work at the Academy of Sciences or those we once worked together with, now work in, let’s say, scientific centers in Russia. We should use that connections,” Armen Sarkissian said. “We have been working closely for years with Rosatom, for instance. Why didn’t we deepen that cooperation and scientific work, especially in the area of atomic energy, with the people whom we have been knowing for years? Because we physically live in the 21st century but think in the categories of the 20th century, slower. This situation should become a trigger to pick up the phone tomorrow and call our compatriots. We, as a state, have to lead the process, should bring everyone together, show the power of being Armenian. A small state but a global nation. These are not just nice words. This is a formula which should be applied.”

In the new, changing world, the President stressed the importance of uniting forces and underscored that joint efforts would yield results. “We have been helping each other for years. Unfortunately, more than one hundred years ago we were helping each other because of the Genocide, were helping the needy, those who lost their parents, families, homeland. It means that we know very well how to help each other through the charity programs. I would like to see our efforts much more comprehensive. It is extremely important that we start working and thinking together. Let’s work together, united. We, as Armenians, need to reformulate the idea of our interconnection. It was another reason that on April 24 I came up with the idea that we can create a memory park, Hay Park next to the Genocide Memorial, which would unite Armenians from all over the world,” President Sarkissian said. “Most important things in our lives will happen in the future. Thus, let’s work together. I am not waiting till this pandemic ends or subsides. Difficulties are always present in our lives; we continue to live with them. The pandemic is tragic, no doubt about that, people are dying. Let’s take the fight against this pandemic very seriously and make great efforts.

I believe in future. I am confident that those who are young in age and spirit should be ready for the future, learning lessons of today which are conveyed to us by God, nature, life.”