Chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the discussion of the activity report 2022 of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry took place at the ministry.
Deputy Prime Ministers Mher Grigoryan and Hambardzum Matevosyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan, Head of the State Supervision Service Romanos Petrosyan, officials of the Prime Minister's Office, the leadership of the Ministry of High-tech industry, and other officials participated in the consultation.
At the beginning of the discussion, Nikol Pashinyan said: "Today we are at the Ministry of High-tech Industry in the sidelines of the process of summarizing the results of the 2022 activity of Ministries and state departments. It is true that the calendar year is not over yet, but essentially we can summarize the results today because what needs to take place in the next month should already be planned and underway."
Minister of Hight-tech Industry Robert Khachatryan first briefly presented the current and upcoming plans of the ministry, then passed the floor to the deputy ministers coordinating various fields.
Then, reference was made to the ranking of Armenia by the Global Innovation Index, the recorded positive and negative indicators. Next, the steps taken in the direction of the development of startups were presented, in particular, the "From Idea to Business" program, within the framework of which state grants are provided to new companies that have presented the best projects, and assistance is provided for their further activities and entering the market. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the implementation of the program and instructed the officials to take consistent steps for increasing its effectiveness, emphasizing the need to ensure a high level of budget performance, to ensure wider public awareness of the program and to expand the list of beneficiaries.
It was noted that the program of returning 50 percent of income tax on salary to companies attracting new employees from the labor market is successfully underway, within the framework of which the state has already provided 2.8 billion AMD. It was reported that a number of IT companies have recruited more than 700 middle- and high-skilled employees this year through the University-Private Sector Program. The budget of the project this year was 231 million AMD, and in 2023 it will reach 311 million AMD.
Assistance has been provided to the participation of Armenian companies in international forums. As a result, during the current year, various Armenian companies signed contracts worth 320 million AMD with international partners.
Next, reference was made to the activity of Haypost, the works carried out in the direction of improving the services provided to citizens, the creation of new branches.
In the field of telecommunications and communications, this year, the renovation of the reserve control center began, which is still in process. Then, reference was made to the implementation of digital television broadcasting, introduction of the digital interactive television system, base and mobile radio monitoring system in the territory of Armenia.
It is planned to ensure broadband connection and access to state digital services in 80 percent of our country's settlements by 2026.
The steps towards the development of the space sector were reported to the Prime Minister. Emphasizing the fact that the first Armenian strategic satellite was launched into space this year, the officials noted that our country plans to launch two more Armenian satellites into space by 2028. It is planned to create a satellite control center and a receiving station in Armenia in 2023, the main functions of which are satellite control and space photo acquisition. For this purpose, the process of training specialists is underway.
The steps towards the development of the space sector were reported to the Prime Minister. Emphasizing the fact that the first Armenian strategic satellite was launched into space this year, the officials in-charge noted that our country plans to launch two more Armenian satellites into space by 2028. It is planned to create a satellite control center and a receiving station in Armenia in 2023, the main functions of which are satellite control and space photo acquisition. For this purpose, the process of training relevant specialists is underway.
Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the implementation of consistent steps in this direction and stressed that the development of the sector will remain in the focus of the Government’s attention.
Next, the projects and works implemented in the fields of establishing the Engineering City, creation of the National Supercomputeing Center, cyber security, digitalization, as well as the creation of a national data repository were presented.
Summing up, the Prime Minister emphasized the Government's willingness for consistent and continuous development of the high-tech sector, communication and telecommunication infrastructures in Armenia and noted the need for effective implementation of the programs. Nikol Pashinyan instructed the officials to present a road ma" for solving the problems and issues raised during today's consultation in the near future, so as to be able to move forward in the above-mentioned directions and ensure development.
