09/09/2026
As part of the two days in Venice dedicated to Italy-Armenia relations, the delegation of CCIAM and the Armenian Businessmen Association was received at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, one of the leading European centres for Armenian studies.
Representing CCIAM and the Armenian Businessmen Association were Ferdinando Pelazzo (President of CCIAM), Gohar Ghumashyan (CEO of the Armenian Businessmen Association, CCIAM's partner association, and Karapetyan Foundation), Anna Hayroyan (CCIAM Armenia), Stefano Maggi (Secretary General of CCIAM) and Stefano Ponza, Attorney (CCIAM member).
Representing Ca' Foscari University were Rector Tiziana Lippiello, Vice-Rector for International Relations and International Cooperation Chiara Saccon, Prof. Aldo Ferrari, Full Professor of Armenian and Caucasian Studies, and Prof. Sona Haroutyunian, lecturer in Armenian and Translation Studies, together with other representatives of the university.
It is no coincidence that the meeting took place at Ca' Foscari. Since 1976 the Venetian university has hosted a chair of Armenian Language and Literature, born from the shared will of Rector Feliciano Benvenuti and the Mekhitarist Abbot of San Lazzaro, as "a window of the Armenian Academy of San Lazzaro onto the Italian world". A direct link with the Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni and with the Mekhitarist tradition that, since 1717, has made Venice one of the world capitals of Armenian culture.
The meeting strengthened a relationship of collaboration between academia and the business world, with a view to ever closer cooperation between Italy and Armenia. Among the central themes were the training and development of young talent, synergies between universities and businesses, and international collaboration projects.
CCIAM positions itself as a stable platform linking the businesses, students and universities of the two countries: a point of reference able to connect the needs of the productive world with the skills and talents formed in universities, helping to create that climate of mutual trust which is the premise of any lasting collaboration.
«Every solid relationship is born of trust, and trust is born of mutual understanding. Ca' Foscari, with its historic attention to Armenian culture, is the ideal place to bring together the world of education and that of business», said Ferdinando Pelazzo, President of CCIAM.
«I see Italy and Armenia as two complementary platforms for the growth of young people. In Italy, and in Venice in particular, Armenian students can develop skills in fields where Ca' Foscari is a point of reference, from tourism to cultural heritage management, from economics to languages. In Armenia, in turn, young Italians can train in sectors where the country is now a leader, such as fintech, IT and new technologies. It is a two-way exchange: this is how lasting relationships are built», added Stefano Maggi, Secretary General of CCIAM.
«For Armenian businesses, dialogue with the Italian academic world is a great opportunity for growth. Concrete and lasting collaborations can emerge from meetings like this», commented Gohar Ghumashyan, CEO of the Armenian Businessmen Association.
The meeting confirms Venice's vocation as a place where the depth of the cultural and academic ties between Italy and Armenia intertwines with new opportunities for cooperation.
