The "Armenian Summit of Thoughts" was held in Dilijan on October 23-24.

This year, the summit, held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, has the title “Global Changes in the New Quantum World”. Prominent representatives of political and economic, scientific and technological circles, expert and analytical community, who participated in the summit from around the world, discussed two main topics of the Summit for two days: geopolitical changes and technological developments in the world and in the South Caucasus.

Within the framework of the Summit, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan, Minister of High-Tech Industry Vahagn Khachaturian, Founding Director of the “STARMUS” Festival Garik Israelyan announced about the holding of the “STARMUS VI” Science and Art Festival in Armenia next year.

President Sarkissian informed that thousands of participants will visit Armenia to participate in the festival of science, art and music:

“In the 21^st century, they are interconnected. This is the best way to inspire our youth, because their future, the future of their families, the future of Armenia will be connected with new technologies, ideas, science. The greatest wealth of our country is people, talented people. The best way is to educate and encourage the young generation that they really have a future both in Armenia and in the world,” noted the President, adding that "STARMUS" will be a festival not only about astronomy, astronautics but also about modern science in general - from astronomy, physics to biology and artificial intelligence.

RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan also highlighted the importance of holding "STARMUS" in Armenia: “Currently, our society raises many issues related to security. The best guarantee of security is to have advanced science, education, culture, and be the leading in the field, which will ensure our strength, our security. This festival will be accessible exclusively to everyone.”

Presenting "STARMUS", the festival's founding director Garik Israelyan said that it has already been recognized twice as the best scientific festival in the world:

“The scientific format is well known in the USA, Germany, and Australia, but there has never been a scientific festival in Armenia. The main objective of the festival is to join society and science, since there is a large gap that is gradually increasing. Today we are announcing the first 30 participants, including 8 Nobel laureates, the first Armenian astronaut from NASA James Bagian, who will visit Armenia for the first time; the inventor of the iPod Tony Fadell and others," said Garik Israelian, noting that astronomy will make up 20% of the festival, the rest is about high technology, biotechnology, physics, programming, etc.

RA Minister of High-Tech Industry Vahagn Khachaturian called "STARMUS" a good practice of cooperation: “This is the best example of how our friends working abroad came to Armenia on their own initiative to hold this prestigious festival with the consent of the Government and under the auspices of the President. As a Government, we want to present to the public that our disposition is future-oriented.”

It should be reminded that "STARMUS FESTIVAL VI: 50 years on Mars" will be held in Armenia on September 5-11, 2022. It is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first landing on Mars.

The "STARMUS" festival in Armenia will be highly accessible for students, schoolchildren, and all citizens in general. STARMUS will also develop a free program in open spaces, schools and universities, aiming to involve up to 100,000 RA citizens in the festival activities. It is planned to host 3,000-5,000 visitors from Europe, Russia, the USA, and other countries within the framework of the "STARMUS" festival in Armenia.