Closing Russian TV channels in Armenia not discussed - Minister

YEREVAN, December 7. /ARKA/. The government of Armenia is not considering the issue of closing Russian TV channels in Armenia at the moment, High Technologies Industry Minister Robert Khachatryan said. 

"We are to meet with the Russian side and hold consultations. The date and time have not been specified yet. All violations (committed by Russian TV channels) are recorded . When we meet we will discuss everything more substantially and meaningfully," Khachatryan said.   

He noted that the consultations were initiated by the Armenian side and it is planned that they will be held before the end of the year in Yerevan.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recalled that the agreement on broadcasting of Russian TV channels in Armenia has a specific provision saying that no efforts should be made to interfere in the internal affairs of the opposite country and destabilize its internal political situation.

Pashinyan noted that Armenia’s Television and Radio Commission and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry hade recorded certain problems in recent months that violate this agreement. 

In late October 2023 Armenia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador to Yerevan Sergey Kopyrkin to hand a note of protest over "insulting and absolutely unacceptable statements" made during a TV program aired by Russia’s Channel One.

A talk show on Russia's Channel One criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his handling of the conflict with Azerbaijan, portraying him as a puppet of the West who seeks to break Armenia's close relations with Russia.

Boris Navasardyan, head of the Yerevan Press Club, said the Armenian Television and Radio Commission had presented the government with "legal grounds" to cancel the intergovernmental agreement on multiplex broadcasting of Channel One and Russia-1 channels in Armenia. –

Russia’s Channel One, Kultura and RTR-Planeta are rebroadcast in Armenia through the public multiplex. The interstate TV channel Mir, headquartered in Moscow, also broadcasts in Armenia.- 0-

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15:29 12/07/2023