President Vahagn Khachaturyan delivered a speech at “Sevan Startup Summit 2025”

Within the framework of the "Sevan Startup Summit 2025," President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan participated in the "Government Day" event initiated by the Ministry of High-Tech Industry and delivered a keynote address titled "Innovative Governance: Solutions for the Future." The event was attended by government officials and representatives of various diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia.

In his speech, the President noted that he first met the organizers of the Sevan Startup Summit back in 2021, when he served as Minister of High-Tech Industry. Reflecting on what he witnessed at this year's summit, he admitted that he could not have imagined the scale it had reached.

"Especially in an environment of open discussions with youth participation, we can undoubtedly achieve greater results. The topic of opportunity utilization can also be addressed in the context of COP-17. On behalf of the Prime Minister and our government partners, I can affirm that the programs we are implementing and the future we envision are not possible without modern technological advancements. The key question is how the state can be a participant and contributor. In all periods of economic development, the central question has always been: what is the role of the state? In today's era of technological advancement, this issue becomes even more relevant. The best solution is close cooperation between the state and the private sector," the President emphasized.

He added that the optimal solution is for the business sector to define the role of the state, as sometimes the state can be more of a hindrance than a help.

"We are fortunate to live in an era where everything around us changes rapidly, every minute, every second. In this fast-changing world, we, as the Republic of Armenia, must find our place. Looking back to the 18th-century Industrial Revolution that began in Europe and continues today, we see that the countries that embraced new technologies were the ones that progressed. And the countries that failed to adapt to and accept changes were either completely left out of the path of humanity's development or joined it much later. The latter eventually realized that without technological priorities, no progress is possible," the President stated.

According to the President of the Republic, when the Armenian side was setting its priorities, it was clearly defining what the future of Armenia would look like and what issues the Government of the Republic of Armenia needed to address.

"Five or ten years ago, when we discussed development programs, sector-specific areas were prioritized. Today, the focus has shifted. First and foremost, we emphasize integrating cutting-edge technologies into every field. This approach has led us to the understanding that no country, including Armenia, can advance without the development of information technologies. Discussions show that our biggest challenge lies in education and knowledge. Today's event is significant precisely for this reason," the President noted.

He emphasized the importance of proper training, pointing out that the summit is attended by knowledgeable and successful individuals who can share valuable experience with newcomers.

When examining our human and educational potential, it becomes clear that this will be our greatest challenge in the near future, and therefore we must continue to educate ourselves. We should not be afraid of any innovation at all. Today, humanity's greatest issue is artificial intelligence, which may seem very frightening because we cannot see or touch it. However, when we look back at human history, especially since the industrial revolution, people also struggled greatly to adapt to progress at that time. It is very important to understand that the future development of humanity will not happen without artificial intelligence. The challenges brought about by artificial intelligence must definitely be addressed," Khachaturyan elaborated.

According to President Khachaturyan, the people gathered at the summit are the ones who must develop those solutions and present them in a clear and accessible way. He also highlighted a unique feature of the modern era: information itself has become a valuable product. However, to access that information, proper infrastructure is essential. That's why Armenia, as a state, is focused on building that infrastructure, such as supercomputers and energy capacities without which the IT sector cannot develop.

"Usually, presenting GDP alone is not enough, it is very important to understand how it is generated and how it impacts people. Modern methods must also be applied in the functioning of state institutions. As consumers, we must accept the changes related to institutions in our daily work. We have now reached a point where the harmonious combination of three key factors-education, information technology, and state institutions, is the future of Armenia. This entire week we are living the Sevan Startup Summit, and what the organizers started back in 2016 clearly shows that their ideas will lead us all forward and contribute to the development of the state as well as to changes in behavior and perceptions. We must do everything we can not to fall behind in the use of advanced technologies," concluded the President of the Republic.