YEREVAN (Arka)—Armenia’s presidential chief of staff Vigen Sargsyan met with representatives of Russia’s top information technology firms on Thursday in Yerevan. Speaking to an audience of Russian and Armenian tech leades, Sargsyan said that the Armenian government is continuing to facilitate doing business in IT in Armenia.

 

“We attach special significance to the IT sector and we are proud of the fact that the industry has dramatically grown over the last years, that many young people are in demand here and that many universities have strong curricula,” Sargsyan said. “We keep studying ways for creating a favorable environment for doing IT business and we see connections between business and educational establishments.”

Sargsyan said Armenia is closely cooperating with Russian companies and that many companies are experiencing success in Armenia.

Aram Pakhchanyan, principal of AYB High School, where the meeting was convened, told Arka News Agency that the key aim of the meeting was to demonstrate Armenia’s experience in IT and to highlight the best example of establishing a modern school in conformity with international standards.

“In this context they are interested in being here, and their visit is important to the school, since Russian companies are well known in the IT industry and they have achieved great success,” he said.

Pakhchanyan said Armenian and Russian companies will try to establish cooperation and expressed hope that AYB High School students will work in these organizations.

IBM Russia’s Andrey Filatov, who was in attendance at the forum, told Arka that the potential for success in IT is high in Armenia.

“The general educational level is high in Armenia, and IT is a promising sector, if the required support is provided by the government,” Filatov said.

Presenting new technologies in the Armenian market and developing business there is a priority for IBM, Filatov said.

The head of corporate sales at Samsung Russia, Sergey Kirichenko, told Arka in an interview that Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will enhance relations with Russia in the IT sector.

Kirichenko pointed to what he called a strong math tradition in Armenia as a determinant of the high numbers of gifted programmers in Armenia.

The vice-president and general director of Fujitsu of Russia, Vitaly Fridlyand, echoed similar opinions. Fridlyand praised the Armenian education system, the country’s IT specialists, and what he called a culture that contributes to the high degree of growth in IT.