Don't Try to 'Incite' the Commission and Our Partners in Russia, It Won't Work: Tigran Hakobyan

The president of the National Commission on Television and Radio, Tigran Hakobyan, made a post on his Facebook page in response to a statement issued by the Russian Embassy in Armenia. He particularly notes that he has always expressed his and the Commission's opinions, and has not conducted any consultations on this matter with representatives of the government. The full post is as follows:

"Regarding today’s statement from the Russian Embassy. Of course, I will address the esteemed ambassador through a statement or an interview (also via personal letter) and will provide additional clarifications on the matter. However, to reduce the flood of calls from journalists and the distortion of my statements made during the press conference (often intentionally), I decided to write a few sentences:

During the press conference (the recording is posted on the Commission's website and here on my personal page), I did not use the term 'Russian TV programs,' but spoke about the necessity of limiting the broadcast of foreign television channels in the public digital multiplex. The difference is obvious. I did not use the term 'national security,' but spoke about information and linguistic security. The difference is also clear.

People who are 'genuinely' surprised or oppose my opinions and suggestions simply do not understand what sovereignty means, what the national media space is, and why it needs to be protected. I advise media outlets and figures engaged in mischief to remember periodically that they are citizens of Armenia and must defend the interests of their own state.

Don’t try to 'incite' the Commission and our partners in Russia, it won’t work. Last year, one of the priorities of my work as the president of the Commission was to at least establish elementary relations with the relevant regulatory bodies of Russia and other EEU member countries (there had been no cooperation or even simple communication before that). On my initiative, I visited Moscow and Minsk and held talks with high-ranking officials. This year, that process will continue, and I hope you will see the results soon.

I have always expressed my and the Commission's opinion, and I have not conducted any consultations on this matter with representatives of the government, and I cannot say whether my proposals will be codified in legislation.

And finally, to those who are zealously promoting the thesis that I am anti-Russian, I invite them to hold a competition to see how many hours we can recite the poems of Pushkin, Lermontov, and Mandelstam; I will gift them my collections translated from Armenian to Russian, etc.

Furthermore, a piece of advice, especially to the youth: do not live with the mindset, aspirations, and ideas of a resident of an American, Russian, Iranian, or Chinese outpost. We understood Zori Gaykovich; he is an elderly man. But what about you?"

It is noteworthy that the Russian embassy in Armenia criticized the recent statement of the president of the National Commission on Television and Radio, which stated that 'a number of foreign, including Russian TV channels, pose a threat to national security.'

"Against the backdrop of the Armenian government's statements about brotherly, allied, and strategic relations with Russia, these assertions that Russian television channels threaten Armenia's security cause confusion," the Russian diplomatic mission stated, urging decision-makers to consider the interests of the thousands of citizens in Armenia who follow Russian channels regularly.