February 11, 2026 – 13:25 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – On February 10, as part of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Armenia, the Armenia–U.S. Tech and Innovation Summit was held in Yerevan. The event brought together Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry, senior Armenian officials, members of the U.S. delegation, and representatives from leading tech companies from both countries.
Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan stated that the strategic partnership formed between Armenia and the U.S. in January 2025 laid the groundwork for long-term technological cooperation.
“Today’s summit is the logical continuation of that work. Armenia is taking targeted and determined steps to advance its tech and innovation agenda. At the same time, we are fully aware that sustainable progress in this field cannot happen in isolation. That’s why expanding cooperation with the U.S. government and leading private sector actors is of special importance,” he said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan added that high-tech has become a core pillar of the Armenia–U.S. partnership.
“We’re working across many directions. The Memorandum of Understanding signed in August was a key milestone in our relations. But what’s even more important is turning that document into concrete action, through the many projects already underway and many more to come,” he said.
Senior political adviser to the U.S. State Department Jonathan Askonas emphasized that technology and innovation are the main engines of economic development.
“I believe Armenia is one of the best-kept secrets in the global tech world. The international tech community has yet to fully discover the country’s exceptional depth of human capital, capabilities, and investment potential,” said Askonas.
Chris Brinkley, Senior Director of International Strategy at Shield AI, spoke about defense cooperation between the two countries.
“Shield AI is collaborating with Armenia to explore partnerships with local aircraft component manufacturers for V-BAT drones and other unmanned systems. We provide our Hivemind autonomy software to make these platforms smarter, more efficient, and easier for humans to operate,” he noted.
Synopsys Armenia President Yervand Zoryan presented the company’s role in semiconductor design and AI development in Armenia.
“Recently we announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to run these solutions on their GPUs. NVIDIA has also made a major investment and become a co-owner of Synopsys,” Zoryan revealed.
Board of Peace Executive Director Eriah Lightstone stressed the importance of results:
“After we left the White House on August 8, I thought my work was done. But the Vice President told me: ‘You’re just getting started.’ I truly believe this is a milestone. It’s a big step. But when we return here in 30, 60, or 90 days, I want this room to be three times bigger, not to celebrate deals being signed, but being implemented and the opportunities they unlock,” he said.
The summit also included the announcement of YouTube’s upcoming program expansion. According to Askonas, YouTube will launch the YouTube Partner Program in Armenia this spring.
“This expansion will allow Armenian creators to earn on the platform, build businesses, and reach new audiences. The Partner Program supports creators, artists, and media outlets in monetizing their content,” he said, citing YouTube’s official statement.
Ryan Goodnight, Senior Director of Market Access and Development at SpaceX’s Starlink, also joined the summit via video message and announced a new cooperation initiative.
“In the next phase of our collaboration, Starlink is working with Armenia’s Ministry of High-Tech Industry to deliver high-speed internet to 100 schools across the country,” he said.
The Armenia–U.S. Tech and Innovation Summit was organized by the Ministry of High-Tech Industry to transform strategic dialogue into practical cooperation in the technology sector.
