YEREVAN. - The ceremony of handing the 2016 Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia in the Sphere of Information Technologies took place at the Presidential Palace Tuesday.

After the ceremony, a reception was held to honor the winner of the award, renowned French scientist, datagram inventor and CEO of Open Root, Louis Pouzin and his wife,  Chantal Lebrument.

The Chairman of the Executive Council of the Award Committee of the World Information Technologies (WIT), Hovik Musaelian, in his speech presented the prehistory of the Presidential Award, which was established by the executive order of the President, the guiding principles of the award committee and the international selection commission, as well as the individuals who have already received this prestigious award.

The award committee member Tony Moroyan introduced the winner of this year’s award Louis Pouzin, presenting his biography and contribution to the IT sphere.

President Serzh Sargsyan handed the award to Louis Pouzin.

During the event, the recipient of the award, Mr Pouzin, extended words of gratitude:

“Mr President showered very pleasant words in my address, and I think we must look into the future together; we don’t know what will happen to the Internet after twenty years. Currently it has become a big challenge to make it secure and safe, that is make it more relevant to people’s needs. This requires time, energy, work and purposefulness to reach acceptable balance in industry, research, technology, sociology and other areas. Let’s try to avoid conflict of interests in certain context.  We must consider that the life is more interesting than death, thus we should move forward, try to overcome difficulties and during coming ten years the society must probably conform itself to the Internet era,” Louis Pouzin said. 

For his part, Serzh Sargsyan noted in his speech:

“Today I am very pleased to hand to Mr. Kaspersky the 2016 RA Presidential Award for the global contribution to the IT area., which is of special significance to us.

I am honored to bestow that award upon the Executive Director of Open Root Louis Pouzin. Today we honor a person who is one of the forefathers of the Internet.

Someone joked one day, saying that the global international network was created exactly for Armenians spread all over the world so that they can get into touch with each other faster, develop and implement joint programs. Mr Pouzin, we are, of course, very grateful to you for that. And now without joking, I must say the following: You are one of those people, who have turned into reality one of the greatest technical revolutions in the human history. Inventions of fire, metal processing and printing press can be compared with the creation of the internet. These were indeed epochal events, which have changed the conduct and description of the entire world. You are one of those who have and continue to change the world.

The first developments round the Internet started during the Cold War, if I was told correctly.  The main purpose of the initial work carried out in that direction was to create means of alternative communication for exerting commander control, especially for the terrible and unthinkable nuclear war period. Thank goodness, the harsh resistance of the Cold War has turned into a history. Let’s exert efforts and pray so that this period never returns. And now the Internet serves millions of people in peaceful conditions.

By this award, together with Mr Pouzin we once again underscore the importance of this peace and cooperation, whose actual and positive result should be the Internet.

Dear Mr Pouzin,

This award, which we have established and bestowed for already six years, aims to appreciate those devoted to the sphere of informational technologies, who contribute to human progress and unification.  By this award we want to once again underscore the importance of your role and that of leaders like you in this sphere. We need highly merited persons, whom our yоuths and ladies - our young people generally - will wish to resemble. You are exactly one of them.

In the beginning of my speech I noted that this award is of special significance to us. The reason is not only that we want to show deserving examples to the new generation. The reasons are deeper. The development of informational technologies is of strategic significance to Armenia. Both in short and long term perspectives, our education, science, economy and generally the society need to walk in line with the world, but this can be done only given equipment with modern informational technologies. Being competitive in the modern fast-changing world is a matter of prosperity for many nations, but for us it is also a matter of national security. Out vision of the future is in this context, And for us you are a guest from the future. 

I congratulate you, dear Mr Pouzin, on receiving this award. I wish you health and inexhaustible enthusiasm in your gratifying work. Be sure that henceforth you have various faithful and kind friends in Armenia.”