Small in size but ambitious in potential, Armenia is betting on science and defense technologies, said Eduard Musayelyan, Executive Director of the Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technologies (UEICT), at the RISE Powered by Silicon Mountains 2026 forum in Yerevan. According to him, Armenian engineers and scientists have been creating solutions for various countries for decades, and today their task is to use this experience to launch new companies and industries.

Musayelyan paid special attention to the defense industry, emphasizing its role as a catalyst for technological breakthroughs. He recalled that the internet and GPS, without which modern life is hard to imagine, were originally created for defense needs. These examples show that innovations in the defense sector often become the basis for civilian technologies.

Today, according to Musayelyan, the country's competitive advantage is formed precisely through its own science and defense developments. Armenia is actively developing research centers and defense enterprises not only to strengthen the economy but also to create new jobs and technological industries capable of competing at the global level.