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On June 17, the National Assembly continued the work of the regular sittings.

The MPs continued debating the annual report on the activities of the Commission on Television and Radio for 2019 and addressed questions to the Chairman of the Commission on Television and Radio Tigran Hakobyan. The legislators have tried to clarify what toolset applies the Commission to respond the scenes containing discrimination and speech of hatred, violence, causing physical and mental pain, restrictions of freedom of speech, information permissiveness and spread of disinformation on the TV air. The MPs touched upon the opportunity of expanding the authorities of the Commission, the liberalization of the market, the provision of the balance of the political forces during the public-political programmes, the flexibility of the budgetary allocations’ management, the creation of the regional multiplexes, the broadcasting of foreign TV companies, etc.

Tigran Hakobyan gave clarifications, presented his vision of the more effective activities of the Commission and spoke about the problems demanding legislative solution.

Talking about the problems related to the information security, the video and audio media, the regulation of the speech of hatred, the media literacy, the democracy, the freedom of speech, the provision of the diversity of information and political opinion, the MPs highlighted the journalists’ independence, the transparency of the media owners’ activities, the people’s individual responsibility, the professional responsibility of the media and the journalists and the public control.

Touching upon the necessity of the technical re-equipment, the financial independence, the regular monitoring of the programmes’ content of the Commission on Television and Radio, the parliamentarians expressed hope that after the new legislative amendments the Commission would genuinely do voluminous work.

In his final speech, the Chairman of the Commission on Television and Radio Tigran Hakobyan referred to the questions raised by the MPs and gave clarifications.

Afterwards the parliament debated the item of the election of the member of the Public Services Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Armenia. The RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed Kamo Sargsyan’s candidacy in that post.

First, Kamo Sargsyan expressed his gratitude to the RA Prime Minister for proposing his candidacy, then touched upon his one-year activity in the Committee and presented his further works. In case of being elected, the speaker expressed his readiness to make use of his professional capabilities, experience and knowledge and promote the solution of the gaps and problems existing in the sphere.

Kamo Sarsgyan also answered to the MPs’ questions.

The parliament will continue the debate on the item at June 18 NA sitting.

At the last sitting of the day, in accordance with the RA Constitutional Law the NA Rules of Procedure, the members of the Government answered to the deputies’ questions.