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“A1+ SHOULD BE OPENED: IT IS THE IMPERATIVE OF THE DAY”

Politics


A1+ has become a nationwide symbol today. When the Council of Europe says “return A1+ to the air,” it means the lacks freedom of speech in Armenia. Moreover, the European Court of Human Rights also demands to reopen A1+,” the ex head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Hovhannes Igityan, said during today’s discussion entitled “Armenia 2008: Crisis and Opportunity.” The discussion was organised by the Civilitas Foundation. The Foundation presented its first annual report on Armenia in the context of internal and external events in 2008.


Generally, Mr. Igityan thinks that the country’s leadership can return A1+ to the air within ten days if they really want to.


“Let’s speak openly and confess that it is a sore subject. I was very sorry about the company’s closure but let’s not confine the normalisation and improvement of the information field with embattled A1+ ,” the President of the foundation and the ex Foreign Minister of Armenia Vartan Oskanyan said with regard to A1+.


Mr. Oskanyan agreed that the problems of the field can be tackled in a short time. “Our TV Companies should be committed to make healthy decisions in the information field. They should be given freedom to meet public needs. I came across this problem still during my office. They say things have further worsened today.”


The ex FM says that whenever people switch on the TV and see an oppositionist they think it is a quite normal phenomenon. “It is wrong to to invite an opposition activist to Public TV “H1” on certain days. Oppositionists should be aired upon the public demand depending on the daily events. We shan’t be able to hold open public discussions unless we address this issue. Newspapers simply delude people.”


Ex Defence Minister Armen Darbinyan also thinks that A1+ should be reopened to ensure freedom in the information field. He illustrated the case in Georgia.


“By a Presidential decree one of the Georgian TV Companies was given to the opposition. The President gave them full freedom at the same time warning that everything must be balanced. Our TV Companies have experienced so much that they won’t know how to behave if they are told to vote for the opposition. A1+ should be reopened. This is the imperative of the day.