Silicon Mountains 2025: PM Pashinyan reaffirms support for tech sector, highlights education for development

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated his administration’s support for the development of the tech sector at the Silicon Mountains 2025 Tech Summit in Yerevan. 

PM Pashinyan delivered opening remarks at the forum.

Pashinyan emphasized the significance of the summit and similar events, particularly in shaping public attitudes and perceptions toward technology.

“Just as in the rest of the world, Armenia is currently in a phase where attitudes toward technology are still being formed,” he said. “To maximize the benefits of technology, it is essential that society develops the right understanding and approach toward it. We must ensure that the value and usefulness of technology become accessible to people,” the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan said that technology has always been a “companion of civilization”, and its development is a continuous process. He pointed out that today, the world is already interacting with artificial intelligence.

“But even back when people were learning agriculture, that too was a form of technology. Despite millennia of advancement, agriculture is now opening a new chapter through intensive farming methods,” he said. “Technology has always existed — and will continue to exist — as a tool to improve human life and raise the standard of living.”
While acknowledging concerns that technology brings challenges and threats, Pashinyan said this is nothing new.

“Every major technological advancement has come with its own set of risks,” he noted. “Today’s technologies can lead to dependency — that’s a valid concern. But they’re not the first to do so. Take pharmaceuticals, for example. That was a cutting-edge technology of its time, and it too brought with it new challenges. Those challenges haven’t gone away — they’re still evolving. But no one seriously considers turning it all off or eliminating pharmaceutical science altogether.”

The Prime Minister called it a “100% truth” that artificial intelligence — and technology in general — will shape the future of Armenia.

“And that’s equally true for every country in the world,” he stressed. “From the government’s perspective, our position is clear: the future will be determined by the adoption of new technologies, how we engage with them, and our ability to manage that process. It’s obvious that our government’s policy is to support the development of technologies and the tech sector.”

Pashinyan also outlined the tools the government uses to support tech development, highlighting education. 

“First: education. Second: education. Third: education,” he said. “Following that, I would point to infrastructure, effective regulation, and sound policy.”

According to the Prime Minister, even developing strong infrastructure, policies, and regulations requires a strong foundation in education — and a good education system, in turn, requires sound policies, infrastructure, and regulation.

He concluded by underscoring the central role of education: “Whether we’re talking about employment or quality of life, the answer is always education.”