Armenia to Send New Proposals on Russian TV Channels to Russia, Minister Says

Armenia will send its proposals regarding the broadcasting of Russian television channels on the public multiplex to Russia again in January this year. This was stated by the Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, Mkhtiar Hayrapetyan.

He noted that last year, the Armenian side had already sent proposals to its Russian counterparts twice regarding amendments to the intergovernmental agreement, but received no response.

Additionally, during political communications at various levels, the Armenian side has expressed its expectations, which it considers justified. According to the minister, the agreement has certain shortcomings, and Yerevan wishes to improve the document in an atmosphere of constructive cooperation.

“For quite some time now, we have not recorded any violations. I cannot say how sharply our steps will be if violations occur. In this sense, we are satisfied that no unacceptable content is being delivered to the Armenian viewer. However, we believe that since we support institutional solutions, any document, including intergovernmental agreements, can have certain gaps. I believe we are demonstrating extremely constructive and adequate behavior by proposing several changes that will improve the document,” Hayrapetyan said.

The Minister of High-Tech Industry announced that the term of the agreement expires in 2027. The Armenian side proposes to review several points deemed problematic that have caused specific issues in the coming years.

He hopes that these proposals will be discussed, and as a result, there will be changes to the agreement.

“Unfortunately, we had to block one of the television broadcasts (likely referring to ‘Evening with Vladimir Solovyov’), after which I can say that we have documented 0 cases where any Russian or foreign channels broadcasted through Armenia's public multiplex have a negative impact on the feelings of the Armenian people or produced content incompatible with the dignity of the Republic of Armenia and its people,” the Minister of High-Tech Industry stated.

Recall that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on May 7 that Yerevan would ban the broadcasting of Russian channels in Armenia if they do not respect the state order and the interests of the republic.