In an article titled “Future Station” published on 16 June, the authoritative Italian daily La Repubblica touched upon the new lifestyle, challenges and difficulties imposed on societies due to the spread of coronavirus, and in this context presented the opinion of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian.

Author Ricardo Luna writes that the world is expecting an economic downturn, and that governments are developing new benefit and pension systems to help vulnerable groups and the unemployed.  “There is an impression that we are helpless,” the columnist wrote, adding that he was impressed by the words of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian about the situation.

“The President of Armenia is a former physicist. In his younger years, he was one of the programmers who made the Tetris game a worldwide success. Then, for many years, he was Armenia’s ambassador to London, and eventually, he became the president of the small Caucasian Republic of Armenia, with a population of three million and a vibrant but very small economy. The author writes. – Armen Sarkissian says that this crisis is the accelerator of the future, that state digital governance can change the country’s behavior, for example, distance learning and healthcare will become more and more demanding that we should not stop the fight against climate change. The President of Armenia has said something that no other head of state has said, something that no one is saying, and the meaning of which is the exact opposite of the phrase “you are helpless.” It means, “You can.” Start swimming.”

In short, Armen Sarkissian said that now governments should take care of create new jobs rather than subsidizing dying industries. Startups, but not only. New enterprises. Go ahead. Sweep the clouds away.