Despite the low number of scientists in Armenia and the extremely big difficulties in the sector, the Armenian scientists turn out to be world leaders today, Arthur Ishkhanyan, a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences, told reporters on Wednesday.

“We inherited an enormous scientific economy in the Soviet years, and were, in fact, the first in the world both with the number of scientists and the structure, as well as the institutions and funding,” he said.

Ishkhanyan said there are significantly less scientists in Armenia today compared to the Soviet period when their number reached almost 30,000. He noted further that despite the decreasing figures, the Armenian authorities keep linking the country’s future with science. But the researcher also spoke of positive factors. “The Armenian scientists rank the first in the world in terms of their effectiveness. This is surprising, but has been documented in many reports reflecting the findings of UNESCO and the CIS academies. That’s an incredible paradox,” he said.

Ishkanyan added that Armenia now prepares high-level researchers who easily pave their way to internationally acclaimed universities.

He further hailed the youth scientists’ assistance program proposed by the Armenian government. “The 300 million Drams [$736,813.36] is of course commendable, but it is necessary to always have in mind that [the sum] is very insignificant per one scientist,” he added.