DAVID HAROUTUNYAN BELIEVES INCORRECT PACE DEMAND TO PROVIDE A1+ TV COMPANY WITH BROADCASTING LICENSE
ArmInfo
2008-06-25 11:33:00
The demand of PACE Monitoring Committee to provide A1+ TV Company
with broadcasting license is incorrect David Haroutunyan, Head of the
Armenian delegation to PACE, Chairman of the Armenian Parliamentary
Commission for State and Legal Affairs, told ArmInfo. The document on
fulfillment of PACE Resolution No1609 by Armenia says particularly on
A1+ TV Company that PACE demanded providing license to the independence
and popular TV company A1+ yet log ago. Given the recent decision
of the European Court for Human Rights saying that the Armenian
authorities pledge to compensate the TV Company for deprivation of
air, the document urges the authorities to provide the Company with a
license immediately. To recall, debates on the document on fulfillment
of PACE Resolution No1609 by Armenia are expected today on June 25.
D. Haroutunyan said such statement of the question is incorrect since
there are no free frequencies for broadcasting. ‘We cannot deprive
any company of frequency in favor of A1+’, he said. He believes that
the right statement of the question is that free, fair and transparent
tenders are held in the country in future on the basis of the practice
of European Court for Human Rights as well as the recommendations of
the CE Committee of Ministers.
‘There are special recommendations on how to organize the given
process. I think if the question is stated in such way, it will be
quite admissible’, D. Haroutunyan said. He also added that Armenia has
repeatedly expressed an intention to pay special attention to pluralism
of e-media. ‘This task must be settled. Moreover, the parliament has
submitted a relevant bill to the Venice Commission. The bill provides
for guaranteeing open, fair and transparent tenders for provision of
licenses to TV and radio companies’, he said.