The Secretary of the Security Council participated in the 10th annual conference on "Development of Space Security"

16 / 05 / 2019

On May 16, 2019, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan participated in the 10th annual conference on "Development of Space Security" at the administrative complex of the Aerospace Corporation in Los Angeles under the motto "Strengthening security". During the conference Grigoryan delivered a speech entitled "The spirit of time; the development of Armenia’s space program".

Below is the full version of the speech in Armenian.

The spirit of time; the development of Armenia’s space program

Honorable chairs,
Dear representatives of the space sector,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be present on this wonderful conference and very pleased to see so many of you here today.
I would like to thank the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety for this effort to bring together policy-makers, industry and the scientific community to exchange views on a number of topics in space safety and discuss the ambitions and interests of our nations.

I would also like to particularly thank Dr Michael Kezirian for inviting me and giving this chance to be part of this fascinating event.
My words of gratitude to International Space Safety Foundation, I applaud their effort to promote educational programs to support the next generation of space professionals. I invite you to Armenia; we would welcome you to offer training which would have broad interest in the region.

Thank you to our wonderful hosts, the Aerospace Corporation, for providing this amazing facility and for leading the international community in preserving the space environment for all nations for generations to come. I would also like to thank the University of Southern California for their interest in astronautics and also support of studies in Armenia.

Distinguished guests,
Since the dawn of civilization the humanity has strived to unlock the mysteries of Cosmos. Now we are living at one of the best times of human history, where there are more opportunities in the area of space exploration than ever before. As space technology takes an ever more central place in our lives and activities, it becomes increasingly important also to defense and security.

Armenia is currently implementing a major reorganization of its space industry, grounded upon our proud tradition of expertise and scientific excellence.
What is also important is that, ultimately, national ambition can only lead to real success when there is cooperation.

Dear chairs,
Esteemed participants,
Space is really a community or as it is called a family.

And now let me conclude by saying that the Republic of Armenia is fully committed to effectively contribute in creating growth, making space more useful and understandable and ultimately bringing value-added to the family.

Thank you

Honorable chairs,
Esteemed attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,

In this panel I am very honored to be in the company of persons with extraordinary prominence and expertise in space exploration field.

Dear guests,
Social and economic growth is achieved largely due to effective transformation of innovative ideas into scientific potential and technological advancement. Growing importance of space technologies in almost every aspect led the Government of Armenia to recognize the development of space industry as one of the priority directions for the state.

A major reorganization of Armenian space industry is underway with the adoption of «The law on space-related activities», which provides legal regulations for peaceful uses of outer space. The law encompasses such parameters as space exploration, data sharing, environmental preservation, new technologies and ethics. The promotion of international cooperation is as well prioritized.
Distinguished participants,

Armenia, once a part of the Soviet Union, was considered a country of micro engineering and advanced technologies, actively contributing to military and space-related industries. And now it is no coincidence that our science-based investment is starting to bear fruit.
Research institutes which are seen crucial for assisting innovative initiatives, in pair with international collaboration provide relevant scientific and technical capacities, necessary for forming a solid basis for development and making it possible for Armenia to join and compete in global knowledge society.

Just to name a few, Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, acting from 1946 (nineteen forty six) is one of the most important astronomical centers in Eastern Europe and Middle East region, both by its scientific instruments and achievements. Founded on the initiative of notable astrophysicist Viktor Hambardzumyan, the observatory possesses five observational instruments, the larger ones being 2.6 - meter Cassegrain telescope and 1-meter Schmidt telescope.

Scientific researches in the observatory are related mainly to the Instability phenomena taking place in the Universe. Along with fundamental scientific research, applied works of near-Earth orbit monitoring are also being conducted.
For the aim of mainstreaming the space debris monitoring, new observation modules are being installed periodically, which identify and track space debris mitigating in this way the threats posed both to satellites and to our planet.
Recently, a unique to the region Global Navigation satellite system (GLONASS) reference station has been established which will give an opportunity to develop and provide high - precision data in demand.

The next direction towards the development of peaceful uses of outer space are the plans to build and launch a national communications satellite into a geostationary orbit.

Distinguished participants,
Cooperation is the key to success and the Republic of Armenia attaches a special importance to it.
It is rightly said, that talent wins games, but cooperation and teamwork win championships. Taking into consideration this philosophy we want to join international community in space exploration to win championships together on space level.

In this regard I would like to mention a few field where Armenia succeeds using its talent and cooperating with international community.

By the Agreement of cooperation in the field of Space Geodesy between The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, parties collaborate on development of space geodetic techniques, data sharing of local and global geodetic observing networks and improved analysis capability. This collaboration aims at strengthening the global geodetic infrastructure, improving research and development in the global Earth observation system, and facilitating exchange and discussion of challenging geodetic issues. In the framework of this cooperation two GPS stations are currently installed in Armenia.
In 2014, the ICRANet Center in Armenia has been established. The main areas of scientific research are in the fields of relativistic astrophysics, astroparticle physics, X-ray astrophysics, high and very high energy gamma-ray astrophysics and high energy neutrino astrophysics.

The center is actively involved in development of the Open Universe Initiative, to which Armenia is actively contributing. ICRANet center in Armenia coordinates ICRANet activities in the area of Central-Asian and Middle-Eastern countries.
Explicit in its aspiration to advance the space exploration development, the Republic of Armenia continues its efforts in high education sphere and development of astronomy both in Armenia and in the region. Since 2015 under the aegis of International Astronomical Union, a regional office for South-East and Central Asia is operating in Armenia. The latter brings together in one place the astronomers from Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkey. This fact serves as a proof, that Armenia possesses an impressive experience and potential which can be shared with our partners.

Besides that, the Office of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia is planning the development of National strategy for peaceful uses of outer space.

Dear participants,
In this new millennium we hope for a new world.

Giving a thought to all said, as well as clearly recognizing a country’s responsibility towards humanity, I am confident that every state has a big mission to undertake at least a small piece of responsibility for the human progress. Through the rational combination of its scientific potential, space exploration technologies and execution of space programs Armenia aims to contribute to universal development and ensurance of global security and prosperity.
In this respect, I have the honor to announce, that our country has entered the phase of economic revolution. Wide range of incentives provided by the Government as well as investment opportunities include also an amendment to the Tax code of the Republic of Armenia which assumes that the value added tax on the performance of works, provision of services and supply of goods in the space-related activity areas shall be calculated at zero percent rate. Our country opens new horizons and new perspectives for you.

We create these new opportunities to develop Armenia, to explore space profoundly together with international community, in order to make the future of humanity in space more secure.

Dear delegates,
In conclusion, I want to proudly invite you to participate in World Congress on Information Technology, to be held in Armenia. More than 2500 participants from 80 countries confirmed their attendance, including the leadership representatives of such companies as Google, Amazon, Facebook. In the framework of the Congress space technologies will as well be presented.

Thank you.