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On September 27, on the initiative of the RA NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport a working discussion in extended format on the theme The Problems of Development in the Sphere of Physics and the Perspectives of the Effective Use of the Scientific Results .

The MPs, employees and scientists of Artem Alikhanian Institute of Physics took part in the discussion.

According to the Committee Deputy Chair Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, the parliament began and would continue similar discussions in the spheres to understand the existing problems and the ways of their solutions. He clarified that about 70 employees' application of the Institute related to some items was the reason to hold discussion.

Let us note that this structure founded in 1944 by the decision of the RA Government was re-formed, getting the name Artem Alikhanian National Scientific Laboratory (Yerevan Institute of Physics) Foundation in 2011. And from here, according to the Former Director of the Institute Ruben Mkrtchyan, the problems started, and an unhealthy atmosphere arose in the structure. According to him, the Board of Trustees leading the organization allows various violations: it violates the Statute of the organziation, the RA laws and even the Constitution. The former Director also considered inadmissible the state of governing the Institute from the distance. Let us inform that the new Director appointed in 2018 Ani Abrahamyan is from the USA, she is a Professor from the Notre Dame University.

The opposite side led by Artem Alikhanian National Laboratory Director Ani Abrahamyan did not admit the sounded accusations.

She particularly presented the steps, which according to her, can make reforms in the organization and promote the development of Armenia’s economy. The newly appointed Director has clarified that there is no goal to eliminate the branches existing in physics, but it is designed to have activities with new missions in the sphere, to develop new, more topical branches of the sphere, to involve and grow new specialists. “If we want science to develop in Armenia, then it is necessary to make amendments, to use financial resources in a right way and give decent salaries to the scientists,” she noted.

During the exchange of ideas most of the speakers proposed to change the form and composition of the organization’s government, to organize discussion for finding the prior directions of the sphere of physics.

The speakers considered urgent to add the financing of science, to promote the involvement of the young specialists in different ways, to prepare qualified teachers of physics and, finally provide the scientists with dignified salary.

Summing up the discussion the Committee Deputy Chair Hovhannes Hovhannisyan thanked the attendees for taking part in the discussion and voicing the problems. According to him, we should find the solutions of the problems by cooperating.