November 24, 2009 - 13:35 AMT
3rd Annual IT Competitiveness Conference kicked off in Yerevan
The USAID-funded Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) Project hosts the 3rd Annual Armenian IT Competitiveness Conference on November 24 in Yerevan. The event was organized in collaboration with industry representatives, including Ministry of Economy, Armenian Development Agency, Microsoft Armenia, Enterprise Incubator foundation, D-Link, Arminco and IT business associations. Financial sponsor is CAPS/USAID.

"The conference will help summarize the results of the work carried out and discuss existing problems, Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan said. Estimating telecommunication and IT development as one of Armenian government's priorities, he noted, "Development of IT, science and education can promote the country's economic growth enabling us to resist impending challenges."

According to Minister Yeritsyan, Armenia holds the leading position in IT industry, serving not only the local but also foreign markets.

He also stressed the importance of Armenia's elaborating its own IT development model, which will help coordinate the government's programs and make the country recognizable in the international market.

National Competitiveness Fund Director Bekor Papazyan, for his part, noted that IT industry forms the basis of any country's economy. "Armenia has a great potential for developing the inductry, so to make the country competitive, it is necessary to introduce innovations and import new products," he said.