Public TV aired an upbeat 2024 concert by the pop singer Tata Simonyan on Sunday, the sixth anniversary of the start of the Second Karabakh War, sparking outrage. On Monday, the broadcaster shared an apology, describing the choice as a ‘mistake’.

This is not the first time that Public TV has been at the centre of controversy concerning its coverage of Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier in September, Public TV did not acknowledge the third anniversary of the 2023 exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Addressing outrage at the concert’s festive tone on social media, Public TV shared an apology on Monday. They said that they are reviewing relevant procedures to prevent such cases from happening again.

‘Dear viewers, the entertainment concert broadcast on the Public Television Company’s air on 27 September was a mistake, and we fully accept responsibility for it. We will not try to justify what happened by citing programming, technical, or operational circumstances. We apologise for what happened’, the statement read.

The statement followed an earlier reaction from the artist whose concert was aired on Sunday, Tata Simonyan, who condemned the broadcast and said the concert was aired without his consent.

‘I apologise for what happened, but I consider it important to note that the concert is the property of the Public Television Company. The material was used without my consent. I consider the Public Television Company’s broadcast of my concert on this day to be a gross error with no justification’, he wrote.

The concert was organised as part of the Festivar series of state-funded cultural events following a pattern of similar initiatives launched by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan since he came to power in 2018. Critics argue that the concerts allow Pashinyan to shift focus from pressing security concerns. In the past, some have also raised questions about the transparency of the selection process for those contracted to organise the events.

This is not the first time that Public TV has been at the centre of accusations that it is promoting the ruling party’s agenda.

Since the war and displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was closed, claiming this is essential for the peace process. In step with Pashinyan’s approach, ruling party officials have avoided making public announcements to mark anniversaries and visiting the Yerablur Military Pantheon, where people usually pay their respects to those who died in the war.

The host of Public TV’s late-night political interview show, Petros Ghazaryan, has been often criticised for favouring guests from the ruling party. An analysis of 426 interviews by independent journalist Katya Mamyan found that more than half of Ghazaryan’s airtime was occupied by Civil Contract party members.

On 19 September, Public TV did not mention that it was the third anniversary of the displacement of Karabakh Armenians, when 120,000 Armenians were displaced following a large-scale assault by Azerbaijan. This assault came after a blockade of the region lasting almost 10 months. Public TV did not address the criticism it received for not acknowledging the war or its consequences.