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At the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian participated today in the opening of the 12th Astana Economic Forum in Nur-Sultan, reports the official website of the Staff of the President of Armenia.

The forum has gathered the current and former heads of states, governments and international organizations, business leaders and economists who are discussing the global trends in economy and the global structural changes.

The keynote speakers of the forum’s plenary session were the leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan and Georgia, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, the first Deputy Prime Minister of China and others.

Expressing gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan for the invitation, President Sarkissian particularly talked about the importance of having a vision. “Everything starts from a vision, a dream. I remember the first time I visited Astana in the early 1990s. It was a small city in the heart of Kazakhstan. However, President Nazarbayev had a dream and a vision, and he turned it into a reality. Everything truly starts from a vision.”

According to the President, one of the visions is what kind of a world we want to see in 20-30 years from now. “What is our vision for the next 20-30 years? To think about that, we need to go back 20-30 years and see where we were. We didn’t have the small devices that control our lives, starting from family photos and ending with all the information in the world. What will happen 20-30 years from now when we apply artificial intelligence that will completely change, say, our healthcare? Where will we be when communication will be with higher quality and when all industries will be linked to artificial intelligence and management of big data? Are we going to be afraid of that? The answer is no because these are actually great advantages. This is a new era and a world that we must receive with open arms. Are we ready for it? I’m not 100% sure. Can we become ready for it? I am 100% sure. We need to start getting ready for it and focus on education, preparing our children for the next phase of the real 21st century,” President Sarkissian highlighted.

According to him, companies involved in the information and high technologies sector that are focused on artificial intelligence are becoming the locomotive in the 21st century, not companies dealing with natural resources. “There are two factors underlying this change. The first factor is man, who has the tools that will help man make the fourth industrial revolution and will allow anyone to be creative, even by staying at home. The second factor is the fourth industrial revolution, but in this case, I will insist that there is another revolution. We are moving towards revolutionary evolution. Changes won’t take place in the court of thirty years. The world will change every day, and we need to be ready for this,” the President added.

Talking about Armenia’s place in the global world, he stated the following: “I am positive about the future of my country and people. Our small country, that is, the Republic of Armenia, is the home of all Armenians around the world. We have a small country, but we are a nation of people scattered across the globe. We are a part of the 21st century and are globally integrated. I encourage everyone to be globally integrated, creative and resistant to changes. Since this world is going to be changing every day, we need to be ready for this. Everything starts from the young generation and education. Everything starts from the vision.”

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