YEREVAN, December 22. /TASS/. Russia and Armenia have established operational communications channels to address issues pertaining to the work of media organizations from each country in the other’s jurisdiction, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin said in an interview with TASS.

"An agreement on cooperation in the sphere of mass communications dated December 30, 2020 is in force between our countries, and within its framework the Russian Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Ministry and the Armenian High-Tech Industry Ministry held bilateral consultations on December 14. During the negotiations, the Russian delegation listened to the arguments of its Armenian counterparts and took note of their concerns. It is important that during the consultations the parties agreed on the establishment of operational communications channels to resolve any potential disagreements in the spirit of friendly relations between our countries," he pointed out.

Earlier, Yerevan said that the Armenian government is not discussing the possibility of a broadcasting ban on Russian TV channels, as Yerevan and Moscow have settled their issues in this sphere.

After a meeting on the sidelines of the Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission, Deputy Russian Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Minister Bella Cherkesova and her Armenian counterpart from the High-Tech Industry Ministry, Avet Poghosyan, signed a joint statement in which they agreed to "ensure full implementation of the agreement, promptly resolve emerging issues and maintain close cooperation between the relevant agencies."

In late October, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported that a program on Russia's Channel One television "made insulting and unacceptable statements against high-ranking Armenian officials." The Russian ambassador was summoned to the country’s Foreign Ministry. On October 25, Armenian High-Tech Industry Minister Robert Khachatryan made a statement that Russian TV channels broadcasting in Armenia had allegedly committed certain violations. Later, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a similar statement.