Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday that science is a key part of Armenia’s development strategy and should be closely integrated with education and the economy. He said that the scientific community should have greater participation and presence in policy-making processes.
Speaking at the “Armenian Science in the Global Research Landscape: Competitiveness, Scientific Excellence, and the Realization of Scientific Output in the Economy” roundtable organized by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), he emphasized that science is not something his administration merely “supports,” but an essential part of state policy and national progress, especially for economic growth.
Pashinyan thanked the NAS for organizing the discussion and emphasized the importance of such meetings in shaping the government’s future policies aimed at developing the science sector.
“I believe that having discussions around programs and implementing them is a necessary but not sufficient condition, because there must be a periodic exchange of ideas about the current state and developments in the field. This also contributes to refining those ideas,” Pashinyan was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister noted that compared to 2017, by 2025 science funding has increased by about 2.8 times, or 185 percent, while salaries in the science sector have seen a significant rise, up to 300 percent.
“The first thing is that our thinking and linguistic worldview must change. In this regard, I must also admit that it strikes my ear when it is said that the government supports science. This creates a kind of distance between the government and science. We do not support science; the development of science is our policy. In other words, we do not see the state, the government, and science as something existing at a distance that we need to support. The development of science is our policy, and this has a very concrete and tangible reason: we cannot imagine the development of the state without the development of science. And on the other hand, we cannot imagine the development of science without the development of education. But I also want to say that when we talk about the development of the state, we primarily mean the development of the economy,” the Prime Minister emphasized, adding that science and the scientific community should have greater participation and presence in policy-making processes.
He further emphasized that science is part of the economy, because managing science, properly allocating resources to it, and perceiving it as an economic sector is a very important tool that helps solve numerous problems. Pashinyan highlighted the development of science as crucial in the context of not only preserving but also further developing national identity and better “understanding ourselves.”
According to the Prime Minister, one of the major challenges is connecting all localized sectors and understanding that “we are dealing with a cycle, because in the Republic of Armenia there is no such thing as a separate district, a separate village, or even a separate sector.”
“We do not see science as a separate sector, let alone separate fields within science. It is very important that we unite our sectors and our country around one goal. And that goal is the Republic of Armenia, the development of our state. But the state, as I have said before, is both a goal and a means. It is a goal by its very existence, and it is a means because it is the only tool that can ensure the best conditions for preserving and developing our identity, security, freedom, prosperity, and happiness,” he said.
In conclusion, Pashinyan stated: “Of course, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia must love their state, and this is a very important and fundamental factor, but at the same time, the Republic of Armenia must love its citizens, including those engaged in scientific activities across all professions. And the policies we pursue are an _expression_ of that love—the Republic of Armenia’s _expression_ of love toward all people engaged in science.”
Published by Armenpress, original at
—
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/04/29/pashinyan-says-development-of-science-is-state-policy/
