FORUM SYNOPSIS:
IT in Armenia (26 July 2006)

On Wednesday, July 26th Birthright Armenia weekly forum was dedicated to the IT sector in Armenia, history of its development and the potential that the IT field has in Armenia.

The invited guest of that forum was probably one of the most professional and informed experts in that field Mr. Garegin Chookaszian, co-founder and executive director of Information Technologies Foundation, Member of the Presidential IT Council of Armenia and a Member of the Board of Directors of the Armenian Development Agency.

Mr. Chookaszian began his speech with brief history of Information Technologies field development in Armenia and the role of our country in Soviet IT sector.

“Armenia was one of the main IT centers in Soviet Union” he said, “the biggest part of the information technologies that the space and military industry needed were created in Armenia” he emphasized.

Mr. Chookaszian introduced some very interesting facts that showed the maturity of the IT sector in Armenia and the importance of its development in Armenia. For example the fact that the IT sector provides about 2% of Armenia’s GDP compares it well to those in the US and Germany. Mr. Chookazszian also informed the audience that one of the first computers was also created in Armenia in the late 60’s. “Only two-three countries were able to do that and one of them was Armenia”. Mr. Chookaszian admitted that this kind of development of the IT sector in Armenia was possible because Armenia was part of the Soviet Union, and that Armenia was selected as an IT research and development in the Soviet Union,  This helped concentrate a large scientific potential in the country.

After the brief speech, Mr. Chookaszian introduced some highly creative products of the Armenian IT sector that have won a number of prizes in different international competitions.  Mr.Chookaszian presented both this DVDs in details to give the volunteers the complete understanding of the very professional approach of Armenian specialists.

The first example was a DVD on Aram Khachaturian, a nationally renowned composer of the twentieth century.  The DVD not only contained the life and works of Khachaturian, but also had detailed information about the time during which he grew up (including the different types of music that influenced him beginning from his childhood).  This DVD, and another concerning the Armenian Genocide of 1915, both won international awards at prestigious events.  The DVD on the Armenian Genocide also was very impressive.  It contained over a thousand ethnographic images, most of which were hidden away in archives all over the world.  Each of the photos could be magnified by a special magnifying icon on the DVD to offer the viewer a very detailed observation of costumes, churches, homes, etc.

“We didn’t think that we will be able to win anything because the issue of the Armenian Genocide was controversial for judges, many of which were Muslims and citizens of countries that did not recognize the Genocide”. But even though one of the co-sponsors of the competition was Azeri president Ilham Aliyev, the DVD about the Armenian Genocide was voted as the best.

Their website could be found at http://www.bazmaweb.am/