RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan received today the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Portugal to Armenia, Madalena Fischer.

Zhanna Andreasyan congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and wished fruitful work during the diplomatic mission for the benefit of the development of Armenian-Portuguese friendly relations. ESCS Minister expressed confidence that she will contribute to the further strengthening and enhancement of relations between Armenia and Portugal.

Thankful for the reception, Ambassador Madalena Fischer stressed that there is a great potential for close cooperation between the two countries in educational, scientific, cultural and a number of other fields. During the meeting, the sides expressed their willingness to expand cooperation in the above-mentioned areas.

Touching upon the prospects of cooperation in the field of education, ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan stressed that Armenia is at the stage of educational reforms, and the “RA Education Development State Program until 2030” adopted by the National Assembly as a law, defines all the goals. The ultimate objective of the program is to have an effective and internationally competitive education system based on national and universal values, aimed at the development of the Republic of Armenia.

“I am informed that the working group of the National Assembly had a meeting with representatives of the Portuguese Ministry of Education in October 2022 and discussed issues related to inclusive education. This is a very important direction for us. One of the strategic targets is the internationalization of higher education institutions, and in this regard, we can also consider the prospects for cooperation,” said Zhanna Andreasyan.

The Minister expressed confidence that, in particular, there are cooperation opportunities that can be realized both at the level of higher education and vocational education in the areas of student experience exchange, digital economy, agriculture and renewable energy.

Touching upon the cooperation in the field of higher education and science, Zhanna Andreasyan noted that the ESCS Ministry conducts consistent activities in universities, museum-institutes and centers of foreign countries in the direction of teaching the Armenian language and Armenian studies subjects, as well as promoting research of Armenology. There are about a dozen Armenian studies centers operating abroad, which receive funding from the State budget of Armenia. Zhanna Andreasyan suggested considering the possibility of establishing an Armenian studies center in one of the universities of Portugal.

The ESCS Minister also expressed willingness to share the experience of programs successfully implemented in our country, in particular, “Tumo” and “Armath”. Ambassador Madalena Fischer noted that they are enthusiastic about this opportunity. She also informed that two “Tumo” centers will be established in two cities in Portugal, which, according to the Ambassador, is an important initiative.

Minister Zhanna Andreasyan also highlighted the perspectives of cultural cooperation. In this regard, she proposed to include the works of the renowned Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian in the cultural institutions of Portugal on the occasion of the 120^th anniversary and as a tribute to the memory of the world classic. The parties also discussed the possibilities of joint film production, organization of exhibitions, and cooperation in other fields of contemporary art.

Zhanna Andreasyan drew the Ambassador's attention to the problem of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and expressed hope that international structures will take targeted actions and steps to resolve the problem.

“As a result of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, a number of basic rights of about 120 thousand residents are violated: of these, 30 thousand are children, so I want to touch on the violation of their right to education. Due to the impossibility of food supply, and periodic disruptions of gas and electricity by Azerbaijan, educational processes are almost suspended in kindergartens, schools, and other educational institutions, which is an unacceptable situation. I think that an international targeted reaction will contribute to the settlement of the situation,” said Zhanna Andreasyan.

Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting. The parties expressed their willingness to discuss the possibility of signing an interstate memorandum, which will more clearly define the scope of cooperation.

Note that Ambassador Madalena Fischer presented her credentials to the President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturian on February 8.