On 4 April 2019, Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia Araik Harutyunyan and Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Hakob Arshakyan paid a reconnaissance visit to JINR.

In the JINR Directorate, the high guests were welcomed by JINR Director Academician Victor Matveev, JINR Vice-Director Mikhail Itkis, Head of the JINR International Cooperation Department Dmitry Kamanin and Senior Researcher of the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems Grach Torosyan.

Araik Harutyunyan in his response speech informed that it was his first official visit to Russia and that he was happy to have an opportunity to get acquainted with JINR that he knew as the world-famous scientific centre. Victor Matveev in his turn noted that JINR paid large attention to joint work with scientific organizations of Armenia, and Armenian scientists with their active participation greatly contribute to the JINR scientific activities.

Information about the JINR organizational principles, fields of its scientific activities at large as well as current projects implemented in the frames of the Armenia-JINR cooperation was presented to the guests. The guests heard about calibration with the use of crystals of the hodoscope electromagnetic calorimeter for the Mu2e experiment (Fermilab) at the beams of the LUE-75 accelerator in the Yerevan Physics Institute within the energy diapason of 15-75 MeV. Moreover, information was presented about joint work on development of the hardware and software complex for the set of several synchronized PLI (the precision laser inclinometer, a unique device developed in JINR), its installation in Armenia and data processing for predicting earthquakes.

During the meeting, the parties noted that the current fruitful cooperation between Armenia and JINR had wide prospects for further development and also expressed their interest in increasing the cooperation. The need to discuss new directions of cooperation in the format of long-term plans was noted. It would demand increasing in spread of information about JINR in the Armenian scientific community. Training of young Armenian scientists on the JINR basis and participation of Armenian students and teaching staff in JINR educational programmes as well were specified as possible ways for cooperation development in the nearest future.

Hakob Arshakyan informed that in order to develop the scientific and technological potential Armenia worked on establishment of the structure for transferring innovation technologies into the industry. For this purpose, the Ministry of High Technology Industry is being founded in Armenia now. This new governmental body will conduct work on development of such promising fields as microelectronics, information technologies and systems of artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, Hakob Arshakyan informed JINR representatives about the meeting with Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Mikhail Kotyukov that had been held on the eve of this visit, as well as outlined plans to establish a committee for scientific and technological cooperation between Armenia and Russia. Minister noted that the committee would be established to discuss particular joint projects, and in this regard, the visit to JINR was very useful to define directions for cooperation. Moreover, Minister expressed the willingness to support future joint projects with JINR.

In the second part of the visit, the guests were acquainted with the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions where, accompanied by FLNR Chief Engineer Georgy Gulbekyan, they visited the recently opened experimental building of the Factory of superheavy elements and the new launched cyclotron of JINR DC-280. Later on, a meeting of Armenian ministers with FLNR Scientific Leader Academician Yu. Ts. Oganessian was held at which directions of scientific research of the laboratory and promising directions of cooperation were discussed.

At the end of the visit, the guests expressed their wish to come to the Joint Institute again for closer acquaintance with its scientific infrastructure and research fields.

Photos by Elena Puzynina