The Monitoring Group ("Group Ago") studying honoring of commitments assumed by Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe introduced at the last session of the Parliamentary Assembly of CE (June 24-28, 2002) its conclusions on these countries. As it has been reported, the official visit of the representatives of the CE Committee of Ministers to Armenia was made in mid-May (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, May 11-24, 2002).
Paragraphs 28 and 29 of the report by "Group Ago" were devoted to the situation of media in Armenia. The report notes the need to revise the RA Draft Law "On Mass Communication" in the light of the comments by the Council of Europe experts, sent to the RA Ministry of Justice on May 21, 2002. In the opinion of the representatives of the CE Committee of Ministers, some disputed provisions of the RA Law "On Television and Radio" also need to be revised – “in close consultation with the Council of Europe experts”. The report touches upon the situation with "A1+" TV company. While not involving itself in the debate about the broadcast licensing procedure, the report says, “the group put it to the authorities that, with the departure of "A1+", the opposition no longer had any media platform so that (in the opposition’s view) demonstration was its sole recourse. The group pointed out the dangers of that situation."
Paragraph 29 quotes the opinion of the RA President Robert Kocharian that “the tenders procedure took place according to the rules and that the proposal presented by "A1+" had been insufficiently prepared. He nevertheless acknowledged that the resulting situation was a problem and said that there would soon be a further tendering procedure in which it was open to A1+ to compete again. To ensure transparency of tendering and in the award of licenses, he suggested bringing in Council of Europe experts."
