The reports on the activities of public administration bodies for the year 2019 are still being delivered during sessions chaired by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, and today’s report was on the activities of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry delivered by Minister Hakob Arshakyan.
According to the minister, in the reporting period, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry, which was established in May 2019, has carried out activities to promote high-tech industry, the arms industry, digitization and telecommunication. In terms of indicators, the minister stated that the total turnover has grown by 30%, and the share of high-tech industry turnover in the GDP has grown by 2.4%. The minister also stated that the roaming tariffs with Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) have dropped by 52% since January 2020 and that this process will be ongoing.
In terms of international cooperation, Armenia has participated in four international exhibitions and signed seven memoranda. The ministry has reached agreements on development of partnership with several countries and international organizations. The technological development programs in provinces have continued, and in this context, large amounts of funding have been granted to Gyumri Technology Center and Vanadzor Technology Center.
The Military Industry Committee is under the Ministry of High-Tech Industry; the samples of the Armenian military industrial complex have been mapped, and relevant catalogs have been created.
After hearing the report, the Prime Minister asked about the activities carried out by the Ministry of High-Tech Industry within the scope of the 2019-23 Action Plan of the Government of Armenia, including the development of sector-specific strategies. Arshakyan reported that the strategies for digitization, military production and high technologies are already ready.
The minister also reported on legislative initiatives aimed at enhancing communication infrastructures and expanding the scope of accessibility. In this context, the Prime Minister assigned to accelerate the development of infrastructure development programs in the communication sector and other sectors, attached importance to the ongoing implementation of actions for introduction and application of digital tools and online platforms and gave relevant assignments.
