ArmInfo.November 17, 2017 Turkey became an official member of Byurakan Astronomical Center named after Victor Hambartsumyan.
Ateg Mikaelyan, Director of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, said at the press conference that at the moment, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and now Turkey are also members of the South-West and Central Asian Center. Also, according to Mikaelyan, Turkey's membership in this center is not only a scientific, but also an important political event.
Mikaelyan said that scientists should be the mediators of peace and, despite the contradictions between countries, science should develop. "Subsequently, this cooperation will develop scientific progress and can grow into friendship," the director of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory said.
Talking to journalists, Mikaelyan said that Turkey's membership in the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory strengthens Armenia's position in the region. "At the moment, there are 9 regional astronomical centers in the world, one of which is located in Armenia.We created our leading regional center thanks to the consent of Georgia and Iran, since they first joined Armenia, Armenia became the center of the South-West region, and in Last year, after Kazakhstan and Tajikistan joined us, the region became known as South-West and Central Asia. Previously, Turkey was out of the game on this issue, but they realized that they want progress in astronomy, and finally joined.This is an important event for us and from a political point of view, since at least in some area Turkey recognizes the advantage of Armenia. Thus, this is the first and very important step for Armenia both scientifically and politically " , Mikaelyan concluded.
Sinan Alish, representative of the astronomical community of Istanbul, in his conversation with journalists noted that earlier cooperation with Armenia in this area was passive, and now, when Armenia became the center of astronomy in the region, it became possible to develop cooperation. "Astronomy is also actively developing in Turkey, in particular, in Erzrum, which previously had close ties with Armenia.Now, Erzurum is installing a 4-meter telescope that will be the largest in the region.Today, Iran is also installing a telescope at 3.5 meters, which also contributes to the regional development of astronomy, "Alish noted. He also stressed that in 2018, Erzrum will open a summer astronomical school. There will be invited students from Armenia, all costs will be incurred by the Turkish side. Sinan Alish, added that this was not his first visit to Armenia.