From left to right: Mikel Amundarain, Vice-Minister of Industry of the Basque Government; Juan Tomás Hernani , CEO of SATLANTIS; Arantxa Tapia, Minister of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment of the Basque Government; Robert Khachatryan, Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia and Avet Poghosyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia – Bilbao 03/03/2023
On Friday 3rd of March 2023, the Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Khachatryan, and the High-Tech Industry Deputy Minister, Avet Poghosyan, visited SATLANTIS in Bilbao for the reception of the Advanced Satellite Control Centre.
Minister Khachatryan and Vice-Minister Poghosyan attended a reception at the Basque Government premises with Arantxa Tapia, Basque Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment. Both ministers analyzed the current cooperation efforts that started with the satellite project from SATLANTIS and have committed to enlarge it through exchange programs for young engineers and scientists.
“The fact that SATLANTIS is heading the ARRAKIHS science mission at ESA provides new opportunities for the Armenian astrophysics community, a set of scientists with a reputable trajectory”, stated Mr. Hernani, CEO of SATLANTIS, also present at the meeting.
The ministers also talked about the new SATLANTIS satellite factory in Armenia, considering the significant impact that this action will produce in the short and long term relations of both communities. Mrs. Tapia stressed the space capacities that the Basque Country is now leading, particularly in New Space, while Mr. Khachatryan acknowledged that Armenia belongs today to the selected club of space countries with own Earth Observation capacities, thanks to SATLANTIS.
Minister Khachatryan also met with Mr. Amundarain, Basque Vice-Minister of Industry and had an informal meeting with Mr. Azpiazu and Mr. Erkoreka, Basque Ministers of Finance and Security, later on the same day.