Monday, December 18 2023 16:17

ArmInfo. The issue of closing Russian television channels is not being discussed, Minister of High-Technology Industry Robert Khachaturyan said in a conversation with reporters on December 18 in parliament.

On December 14, following the results of a bilateral meeting between the Ministry of High-TechnIndustry of Armenia and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation regarding compliance with the provisions of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Russian Federation on cooperation in the field of mass communications, the Armenian department issued a statement that that Russia has admitted violations of a number of points of the Armenian-Russian agreement on cooperation in the field of television broadcasting.

On the same day, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development stated that the Armenian side announced violations of Article 5 of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Mass Communications between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The Russian side took note of the concerns of the Armenian side. At the same time, the Russian partners did not provide any specific documentary evidence of these facts.

Robert Khachaturyan called on journalists, firstly, to be guided by the Armenian official information. Then he pointed out that it was not about specific violations, but about the fact of the presence or absence of violations. "That is, there was not even a need to provide facts of violations. We only stated that there were violations, calling not to discuss the violations in detail, and the fact (of violations) was accepted," the minister said.

When asked why the issue of excluding Russian TV channels from the public multiplex was not included on the agenda, the minister said that "further relations depended on the outcome of the consultations." "It would be wrong to raise this issue, since our partners recognized the fact of violations and pledged to take measures to comply with all points of the agreement," Khachaturian said.

On November 24, answering the citizens' questions, Nikol Pashinyan said that the Russian TV channels broadcasting in Armenia violate certain clauses of the agreement, and consultations are underway with the Russian Federation to fix the situation. "According to the agreement, there is a clear provision that no steps should be taken to interfere in the internal affairs of other country or to destabilize the internal political situation in the country. In recent months, certain problems have been recorded in our government agencies that violate this agreement. Considering the friendly relations between Armenia and Russia, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry invited the Russian side by official letter for consultations to discuss this situation and understand what the results or conclusions should be. I hope that these consultations will take place as soon as possible so that we can resolve issues in a normal, friendly environment," he noted.