RA Acting Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan received today the delegation headed by the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Armenia Alfonso Di Riso. The meeting was also attended by ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan.

Vahram Dumanyan congratulated Alfonso Di Riso on his appointment and wished him fruitful work for the benefit of the development of Armenian-Italian friendly relations.

“I am sure that your activities will contribute to the further strengthening of relations between Armenia and Italy, as well as to the expansion of bilateral relations. In this regard, I highlight the importance of jointly implemented programs and exchange of experience in the fields of education, science, culture, sports and youth," noted the Acting Minister.

According to Vahram Dumanyan, a program for teaching Armenian studies is implemented in 12 educational research institutions operating abroad and is funded by the RA state budget. In Italy, the program is implemented at the Universities of La Sapienza in Rome and Ca’ Foscari in Venice. The Acting Minister proposed to expand the implementation of the program and involve state universities of the Republic of Armenia, which will foster the implementation of joint educational and research programs, exchange of students, teachers and young researchers. Vahram Dumanyan also proposed to expand the joint Erasmus+ programs, which will contribute to the internationalization process and sustainable development of universities in both countries.

The Acting Minister also underlined the importance of implementing a pilot experiment of advanced Italian language training in the secondary schools of Yerevan since 2019. During the 2020-2021 academic year, the program was implemented in 7 general education institutions. Within the scope of the Armenian-Italian cooperation, Vahram Dumanyan noted the importance of the activities of Italian professors, aimed at the development of the Italian language in Armenia. “I suggest to further develop the program and contribute to the cooperation between schools of Armenia and Italy by implementing joint Armenian-Italian educational and cultural programs in schools, as well as considering the possibility of organizing summer schools in both countries with the participation of pupils.”

According to V. Dumanyan, within the framework of the memorandum on “Cooperation in the Field of Science and Technology", the MESCS Science Committee cooperates with the National Research Council of Italy. In 2019, the first competition of joint Armenian-Italian programs was held in various directions. As a result of the competition, 4 joint projects were approved for funding for a period of 2 years. The Acting Minister also stressed the importance of implementing joint educational programs through the establishment and expansion of direct cooperation ties between the scientists. He proposed to enhance the cooperation in the following fields: Informatics, Astrophysics, Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Optics, Biochemistry and Chemistry.

Vahram Dumanyan drew the Ambassador's attention to the issue of preserving the Armenian cultural heritage in the territories that came under the control of Azerbaijan. Regarding the cooperation in the field of culture and creativity, the Acting Minister noted that Armenia has been participating in the Venice International Biennale of Contemporary Art for many years. In 2020, Armenia was also scheduled to participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale under the "Hybrid Identities" project, but the exhibition was postponed because of the pandemic. The opening of the Armenian pavilion and the presentation of the project is scheduled for August 2021.

Vahram Dumanyan especially emphasized the implementation of the project "Rochemp-Armenia: Creation of Regional Centre for Management, Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage” and expressed hope that it will be ongoing, will have a sustainable basis for development and greatly contribute to the enhancement of efficient Armenian-Italian cooperation in the field of culture. The Acting Minister also suggested the Ambassador to consider the possibility of establishing an Armenian-Italian school for the restoration of artworks or implementing joint programs in educational institutions of Armenia.

Referring to the cooperation in the field of sports, Vahram Dumanyan noted that in recent years the Armenian national teams have actively participated in various sports events and offered to implement programs of exchange for coaches and athletes.

Ambassador Alfonso Di Riso, in turn, noted that cooperation between the two countries rightly begins with cultural relations.

“In this regard, it is no coincidence that my first meeting with the executive branch is the ESCS Minister. The relations between Armenia and Italy are more than a cooperation between the two states,” said the Ambassador noting that this cooperation is particularly active in the field of culture.

Alfonso Di Riso highlighted the importance of teaching Armenian language and Armenology in the universities of Italy, and suggested expanding the list of universities and introducing it, for example, in one of the educational institutions of Naples. The Ambassador also highlighted the issue of advanced studies of the Italian language in Armenian schools, underlining that currently there is a growing interest towards the Italian language all over the world. He expressed willingness to develop the program in general education schools, and also suggested considering the possibility of teaching Italian in music schools, which, according to Alfonso Di Riso, will foster further development of it in the conservatory.

The Ambassador also underlined the importance of inter-university cooperation, especially in terms of sharing the Italian experience in IT. He expressed his willingness for close cooperation in the preservation of cultural heritage and restoration of artworks.

During the meeting issues of mutual interest were discussed.