Armenia has delivered a formal protest note to Russia’s ambassador over what it calls “openly unfriendly, often hostile propaganda” against the Armenian government in Russian state media, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The diplomatic protest comes as Armenia’s television and radio commission announced it may suspend Russian TV channels from its public digital multiplex, citing repeated violations of bilateral agreements and Armenian law.
In a written response to Radar Armenia, the Foreign Ministry said the protest was conveyed through a note handed to the Russian ambassador summoned to the ministry. Armenia accused Russian state television channels of broadcasting offensive statements and targeting Armenian authorities in ways that “absolutely unacceptable” and undermine positive results from high-level visits between the two countries.
The ministry expressed particular concern over comments by some Russian State Duma deputies regarding the prevention of an attempted coup in Armenia. These lawmakers had characterized the arrest of alleged coup plotters as “another unfriendly step by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.”
“Such statements are not only absurd, as it is incomprehensible how and why preventing a state coup is considered an unfriendly step, but also constitute gross interference in Armenia’s internal affairs,” the ministry statement said.
Broadcast regulator threatens channel suspension
Armenia’s Television and Radio Commission issued a separate statement Friday warning that Russian channels RTR-Planeta and Channel One World Network may be removed from the country’s public broadcasting network for serving “foreign political agendas.”
The commission cited a 2020 cooperation agreement between Armenia and Russia that was meant to develop “friendly relations and further cooperation” in telecommunications. Under the deal, the Russian channels were granted broadcasting rights in Armenia’s public digital multiplex.
However, the commission said the channels have “repeatedly violated” both the bilateral agreement and Armenian law by broadcasting content containing “offensive expressions and distorted assessments” directed at Armenian state institutions and citizens.
The commission noted that Armenia’s public television channel has never been granted broadcasting rights in Russia, despite provisions in the 2020 agreement. Russian officials later acknowledged that the concept of “universal broadcasting license” referenced in the agreement does not exist in Russian legislation.
The commission said it has received numerous complaints from the public demanding that Armenia’s media space not be turned into an environment where “insults, misinformation, obscene vocabulary, justification of violence and violation of fundamental human rights become the norm.”
“The messages of hatred and permissiveness that these television companies periodically create cannot contribute to the mutual understanding, respect and appreciation between the societies of our two states,” the commission said.
The commission said it has repeatedly raised these issues with the Armenian government and proposed legislative changes to strengthen regulatory oversight of foreign broadcasters.