Yerevan Press Club chief urges banning of Russian TV channels in Armenia

President of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan has advocated for banning the broadcasting of Russian TV channels in Armenia.

"The ban of Russian TV channels will mean that the Armenian authorities, apart from declaring a 'movement for independence' that carries no practical meaning, are actually ready to act for the sake of the country's sovereignty," he wrote on his Facebook page, Caliber.Az reports.

"I hear many calls that instead of criticising the Armenian authorities, proposals should be presented on what concrete steps they should take. I have voiced several such proposals on various occasions and platforms. One of them, which has been circulating for several years, is the removal of Russian TV channels from public multiplexes in Armenia," Navasardyan writes

According to him, representatives of the Armenian Commission on Television and Radio claim to have presented the government with legal grounds to cancel at least the intergovernmental agreement with Russia on the public multiplex broadcasting of Perviy and Rossiya 1 channels in Armenia.

“This does not mean that they are ‘closed’ because they are disseminated on many alternative platforms, or that we are solving the problem of information security. But it will mean that the Armenian authorities, apart from declaring an ‘independence movement’ that carries no practical meaning, are actually ready to act for the sake of the country's sovereignty. This is one of the most obvious and direct steps that should be followed next," Navasardyan added.