Two violations by Russian TV channels revealed in Armenia over the past two months

YEREVAN, November 2. /ARKA/. Armenia's National Commission on Television and Radio Broadcasting has detected  two violations of the provisions of the bilateral agreement on broadcasting of Russian TV channels in Armenia over the past two months, the regulator's head Tigran Hakobyan said to lawmakers on Thursday.

He said the violations were recorded and forwarded to the Ministry of High Technology Industry, which  under the agreement with Russia acts together with the Armenian Foreign Ministry as a negotiating party.

The violations were recorded in September and October 2023 and earlier also in December 2022. 

Hakobyan said he had three meetings with Russia's Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, with representatives of Roskomnadzor, Russian TV and Radio watchdog and the Russian Federation Broadcasting Authority, to hand over files with recorded violations.

On October 25 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 state-run Channel One.

Last week Minister of High Technologies Industry Robert Khachatrian evaded answering a question about whether Armenia may ban broadcasting of Russian TV channels aired through public multiplex for their apparent attacks on Armenia and its government.

According to media reports, violations were committed by the First TV Channel and Russia 24 TV channel.

Earlier, Lusine Badalyan, an Armenian MP from the pro-government Civil Contract party, said that the issue of disconnecting Russian TV channels in Armenia had been discussed for a long time. According to her, Russian propaganda is carried out through various channels, including through its agents operating inside the country.  

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 Russian Channel One and Russia-1 channel." -0-

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17:46 11/02/2023