Armenia–US strategic partnership creates solid political foundation for high-level cooperation: Minister of High-Tech Industry

Within the framework of the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Armenia–US Technology and Innovation Summit was held in Yerevan on February 10. The event was attended by the Armenian Minister of High-Tech Industry, high-ranking Armenian officials, members of the U.S. Vice President’s delegation, and representatives of technology companies from both countries, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry said in a press release.

Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan noted that the Armenia–US Strategic Partnership, established in January 2025, has created a solid political foundation for high-level cooperation.

“Today's summit is a logical continuation of that work. Armenia is taking targeted and decisive steps to advance its technology and innovation agenda. We clearly realize that sustainable progress in these areas is not possible in isolation. That is why we attach special importance to expanding cooperation with the U.S. government, as well as with leading private companies and institutions,” the Minister said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan noted that the high-tech sector is one of the cornerstones of the Armenia–US partnership.

“We are working in different directions. The memorandum of understanding signed in August was a significant milestone in our relations. However, it is important to move to concrete actions, with many important projects already underway and many more to come,” Kostanyan said.

Jonathan Askonas, Senior Advisor for Policy at the U.S. State Department, noted that Armenia and the United States clearly recognize that technology and innovation are key drivers of economic growth and opportunity, describing Armenia as one of the best-kept secrets in the global technology sector.

“The international technology community has not yet fully discovered the exceptional depth and potential in terms of human capital, capabilities, and investment opportunities that exist in Armenia,” the State Department representative said.

Chris Brinkley, Senior Director of International Business Development and Strategy at Shield AI, underscored the established Armenia–US military and defense partnership, emphasizing that this cooperation will enable Armenia to ensure the security of its borders and strengthen its defense capabilities.

“Shield AI is working with Armenia to explore partnership opportunities with aircraft component manufacturers for V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicles and other unmanned systems. The company is providing its Hivemind autonomy software to make these platforms smarter, more efficient, and easier for humans to control,” Brinkley said.

Among the attendees of the summit, Yervand Zoryan, President of Synopsys Armenia, presented the company’s role in the field of semiconductor design and artificial intelligence in Armenia. He emphasized that Synopsys recently announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to operate these solutions on its GPUs and that NVIDIA has also made a significant investment by becoming a co-owner of Synopsys.

Aryeh Lightston, Senior Advisor to the Board of the Peace international organization, noted that they are eager to see practical steps in the field.

“When we left the White House on August 8, I thought my work was done. But it was the Vice President who said that I was just getting started. I deeply believe that this is a significant milestone. This is a major step, but when we come back here in 30, 60, or 90 days, I want this hall to be three times bigger, and we will celebrate not the beginning of the deals, but their implementation and the new opportunities they will create,” he said.

On the days of the historic visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, YouTube announced the launch of its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) in Armenia, which is scheduled to begin this spring.

Ryan Goodnight, Senior Director of Starlink Market Access, welcomed attendees via video message and announced that, as part of the next collaborative step, Starlink is partnering with the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia to provide high-speed internet to 100 schools in Armenia.

This is the first time the Armenia–US Technology and Innovation Summit has been initiated by the Ministry of High-Tech Industry. It aims to transform bilateral technology cooperation from strategic dialogue into practical implementation.