Armen Sarkissian Meets with Swiss Businessmen

During a working visit to the Swiss Confederation, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian held a meeting over a working lunch with members of the Swiss-Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Swiss-Armenian businessmen in Zurich. The event was organized by the Switzerland-Armenia Chamber of Commerce with the support of the Armenian Embassy in Switzerland.

The President of the Switzerland-Armenia Chamber of Commerce, Mike Baronyan, congratulated the President of Armenia and the nation for the successes of 2019 and emphasized that President Sarkissian's presence at the event is of great significance for the community and members of the chamber.

“In the past six months, I have had the honor to meet with the President of Armenia for the fourth time,” stated James Zhan, Director of the Investment and Enterprise Division of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). “I have heard about his vision, programs, and wise thoughts not only during meetings related to investment policies or within the context of the 'Armenian Ideas Summit' but also during the discussions of the UNCTAD High-Level Group of Eminent Personalities, which took place last year. During that discussion, we had the opportunity to hear the President's views on global issues and their solutions, particularly in the context of developing countries, as well as his guiding thoughts on the future role of UNCTAD.”

The Director of the Investment and Enterprise Division of UNCTAD expressed gratitude to President Sarkissian for trusting them to prepare the report on Armenia's investment environment. He noted that it would help Armenia improve its investment environment and be at the forefront of global competitiveness.

“There will be significant changes in Armenia if the leadership adopts a vision of making the country a business hub for the region and progresses in the fields of IT and artificial intelligence, being a part of the global chain,” he said. “We see great potential in Armenia’s agribusiness, textile industry, winemaking, and tourism sectors. Seeing this potential, UNCTAD will continue to support Armenia in improving the investment climate in the country.”

In his remarks, President Armen Sarkissian thanked James Zhan for the work undertaken by UNCTAD, referencing its background: “A year ago, when I was in Geneva, I asked for a report to be prepared about Armenia—what are the investment challenges in Armenia and what sectors have potential. They did an excellent job. Initially, they presented interesting ideas based not only on the Armenian government's insights but also on the observations of Armenia's and the external investment community. This is a concise report, yet comprehensive. They did this work pro bono for Armenia, for which I want to express my gratitude. I hope to see partners from other countries in Armenia in early March when we will discuss the future of this UN organization. It is a great honor for me to lead the UNCTAD Group of Eminent Personalities.”

Regarding the existing challenges, President Sarkissian specifically mentioned: “It is known to everyone that challenges outnumber achievements. In my understanding, fighting corruption means creating a culture where people must be intolerant of corruption. This should become a part of our culture, as it has become part of the culture in several European countries, including Switzerland. Therefore, certain processes need to be followed to achieve this, changing the legal system. This is a very significant challenge.”

Another challenge mentioned by President Sarkissian was changing the structure of the economy. “As soon as you start the fight against corruption, you need to begin the transition from an oligarchic economy to a much more open society,” the President said. “People are now politically more open than they were two years ago. A society has been created in Armenia where young people began to dream and have great aspirations that they can have startups and be successful.”

According to President Sarkissian, the world is at a crossroads. “I believe that many politicians and businessmen are becoming desperate because they do not know what is happening, cannot predict anything – they cannot predict what this or that political figure will declare, how the markets will react to it. What is happening? This question has very few answers today. The predictability of the world has sharply decreased. However, there are analysts and philosophers who positively assess this situation, as we do not know what to do and do not know in which direction we are heading, there are no pillars of stability for the global economy. I have always believed that uncertainty breeds opportunity. If there is no predictability, but you have the right instinct and you foresee correctly, then you emerge as the winner. And in an environment of uncertainty, the path for Armenia is development. There is only one path to success – to work diligently towards development and seize that opportunity, since politically and economically, we can not only not predict much, but we are also at the crossroads of a significant technological change known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In this new age, we are dealing with 'new doors' leading to the future. When there is a new start, everyone is equal – the poorest, the richest, the strongest, and the weakest. Here, I see an advantage for our nation. In this new world, connection means something. This is part of our human nature. When we are born, we do not have the tools for connection. We connect to the world through our mothers. However, now the means of connection is also changing. For example, my two-year-old grandchild, like other grandchildren, in some way already lives in a virtual domain, as one of the first tools they discovered was a gadget.

Tomorrow, everyone will live two lives – a virtual life that ensures communication at the speed of light and a material one. We are a nation that is global and interconnected. You will be amazed at the data on how many Armenians living in Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Moscow, or elsewhere are interested in the developments in Armenia via the internet, and they have a significant influence on the country, presenting their ideas on how to govern the country, what is right or wrong. Armenia tells them that it is time to come back home. Artificial intelligence may offer a good opportunity for Armenians worldwide to keep in touch with each other. Thus, Armenia is a small country but has a great advantage as one of the most interconnected nations in the world.

I believe that in the rapidly developing 21st century, the small can be not only beautiful but also powerful. There are many examples: I have just come from Abu Dhabi, where I participated in 'Sustainability Week.' That country is impressive; it is small but powerful. Before that, I was in Doha, which is also small and powerful. From here, I will go to Israel, which is small and powerful. In Abu Dhabi, I had a meeting and discussions with the President of Rwanda, again a small but empowering country,” remarked President Sarkissian.

The President noted that all of this speaks to organization and having the right vision. “You need to find your path on what you want to fundamentally reform in your country, to find the pathways to success. Armenia must develop all sectors: tourism, hotels, industry, and the banking system, which is well developed in Armenia. All these sectors are interconnected because if you develop the infrastructure, more tourists will visit; if more tourists come, there will be developments in the real estate market, which will lead to the development of the banking system, and so on. We need to stand on our own feet and take care of our nature. Nature does not only exist in the area where we live. I represent not a country rich in gas and oil but a country rich in water. We are looking for ways to utilize solar energy more effectively. I am proud to announce that due to our efforts last year, we are preparing to construct 400 MW solar plants in Armenia. The 'Masdar' company will build it. This is the first step, and we can do more. Armenia produces six times more water than we use. Many envy us for this. Water is far more valuable than oil. In the future, who will be more powerful—someone who has nature, clean air, clean water, mountains, food, and a decent living, or one who can’t even use the foundations of clean nature and can’t predict the future? We must invest in nature, clean water, and clean food. This should become Armenia’s business card, its logo.

Should we spend large sums to find our logo? I don’t think so. You will all agree that we can present Armenia as not only the country with the best water in the world but also the home of everything clean and organic. This should be our logo that we will use when selling Armenian tomatoes, cucumbers, and apricots. Armenia should become a place where living there you will be healthy, as there is healthy food, clean air, and a healthy lifestyle. These are the foundations. We should think about the future.

Highlighting that the future lies in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, President Sarkissian presented his presidential initiative called ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow). “It will consist of three parts, one of which will be the future 'Disneyland'. If we want to make Armenia attractive to tourists, we need to make sure they come to see the future. This place will also have a Museum of Tomorrow, where we will be able to see what tomorrow will look like. The second part will be a scientific business platform where we will have major international companies conducting research in mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence. There will be big companies not only from Europe but also from the USA, Russia, India, and China. The third part will be the educational sector. In the political sphere, as a presidential initiative, I am working on creating cooperation among small but successful countries—those that are small but have significant achievements and have done the right reforms. Defining success has always been complex. This will not be another G7 or G20. This will be a club where we will gather and share our ideas on how to achieve success while being small but successful and powerful. I believe that if we have a vision, strategy, program, and all work diligently, hand in hand, our nation and state will develop,” emphasized President Sarkissian.

Addressing our compatriots, President Sarkissian particularly said: “Armenia is the home of each of us. Some of us live our entire lives in Armenia, some temporarily elsewhere, but still, your heart, as William Saroyan said, is in the mountains, in your homeland. Your thoughts, your money, you are physically here, but your heart and soul are in the homeland. You are good citizens of this country, and I am confident that you will also be good citizens in Armenia.”