YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)– A general meeting of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia re-elected Fadei Sargssian President by a vote of 107 to 12. Sargssian was the only candidate nominated for the post.
Summing up the six-year work of Sargssian as ANAS President–Edward Jrbashian–Grigor Ghurzadian–Vram Dovlatian and other academicians said that Fadey Sargssian saved the Academy from collapsing in the most difficult times for Armenia and became a worthy successor of Academician Victor Hambartsoumian.
"He dragged the Academy from almost a hopeless state. It took Herculean efforts–and it would be a great ingratitude to underestimate this," Ghurzadian said. He also stressed that Sargssian acquired great experience during these six years–which must be used in the future as well.
Sargssian thinks that one of his main achievemen’s while in office is that the scientific potential of Armenia was preserved. "I hope that in the future this potential will be more actively used in the country’s economy," he told Noyan Tapan. Sargssian pointed out the need for appropriate logistics for research institutes and laboratories. "Science requires financing which our country can’t ensure yet–and we are trying to finance our science through the system of various gran’s," the ANAS president said.
The general meeting of the ANAS prolonged the authority of the ANAS Presidium for another three months. The new election of the ANAS Presidium was scheduled for September 1999.