Arman Babajanyan One of the Responsible for Bringing "Poison of the Air" to the Public Multiplex, Says Tigran Hakobyan

Arman Babajanyan is one of those responsible for "bringing and filling the public multiplex with the poison of the air." Last week, the leader of the "For the Republic" party, Arman Babajanyan, along with several party members, launched a "Crusade" against the Television and Radio Commission. The reason for this "criticism" directed at us (in my opinion, the reasons are deeper) is the broadcasting of two Russian television channels in the public multiplex. This was written on his Facebook page by TRC Chairman Tigran Hakobyan.

The honorable party members accuse the Commission of lacking will and "bringing and filling the public multiplex belonging to Armenian taxpayers with all the poison of Russian air," among other things. A. Babajanyan even stated that he had instructed lawyers to clarify the grounds for the TRC's inaction with the aim of submitting a lawsuit to the relevant authorities.

Since the campaign against the media-regulating body of Armenia was systematic, misleading the public and casting a shadow over the Commission's work, I am compelled to respond as briefly as possible to the allegations made.

According to the law on "Audiovisual Media" (adopted in August 2020) and the intergovernmental Agreement signed between Armenia and Russia (signed in December 2020), Russian television channels are broadcast in the multiplex without a license issued by the TRC, and their activities are not regulated by the Commission. Therefore, the Commission has no authority to initiate administrative proceedings against these television channels in case of violations, impose penalties, suspend, or revoke licenses.

The intergovernmental agreement stipulates that the bodies authorized to implement the provisions of the document are the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media (from the Russian side) and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry (from the Armenian side), while the authorized bodies must hold consultations at least once a year to overcome any disagreements that may arise, creating working groups if necessary.

As you can see, in this context, the powers of the TRC are very limited.

Now, about the most important matter: the law, as I mentioned, was adopted in 2020, meaning by the previous National Assembly. At that time, Mr. Babajanyan was a member of the National Assembly and (attention N1) voted for the law that, in his words, "brought and filled the public multiplex with all the poison of Russian air." Moreover, MP A. Babajanyan (attention N2) is a co-author of this law (I repeat, CO-AUTHOR). Thus, the logic suggests that the co-author and advocate of the law (his speeches on the necessity of adopting the law have been preserved online) A. Babajanyan is one of the main responsible for "filling the public multiplex belonging to Armenian taxpayers with poison."

I do not rule out that the busy party leader simply forgot the provisions of the law he authored and the Armenia-Russia agreement. Therefore, I hope that after this reminder, Mr. A. Babajanyan will reformulate the task given to his lawyers to now investigate his own "criminal behavior" that, according to his own words, "created threats to Armenia's national security." Or, without waiting for the lawyers' conclusions, he will apologize to the Commission and the citizens of Armenia for his manipulative and misleading statements.

I see no need to present facts that refute our "inaction." The TRC is established according to the requirements of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and acts solely in the interest of the Republic of Armenia.

In particular, we always maintain open and sincere dialogue with our Russian counterparts, have resolved many issues within the scope of the TRC's jurisdiction, or are on the path to resolution. And regarding my previously repeatedly stated reasoned position on the broadcasting of foreign television programs (regardless of whether they are Russian, American, or Indian) in the public multiplex, the public (including Mr. Babajanyan himself) is well acquainted with this; there is no need to repeat it.

For now, that is all:

P.S. On September 8, I had received a delegation from the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, led by Deputy Minister Bela Cherkesova (this was our third meeting in two years). We discussed many issues, including steps aimed at reducing "undesirable" content in the broadcasting of both countries. We agreed with the Deputy Minister on an important issue, "freezing" the implementation of an initiative from the Russian side that would have a negative impact on the Armenian television advertising market. It is understandable that I cannot publicly discuss all the issues discussed, but I confidently assert that all issues are always discussed in an atmosphere of sincere mutual understanding. And regular work with the interested bodies of the Russian Federation will continue for the sake of the Republic.

Why did I add this postscript? Because the campaign against the TRC started immediately after the press release about this meeting was disseminated. It may have been a coincidence.