Pashinyan: Never before have the media been so free in Armenia`s  recent history

ArmInfo. Never before have the media been so free in Armenia's recent history, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan made such a statement at the New Year's  reception for the media.

''This means that the government does not interfere and does not seek  to interfere in the activities of the media. This, of course, does  not mean the absence of internal rules in each media, which, in fact,  is a matter of internal relations,"Pashinyan stated.

He also thanked the former colleagues for the work done in 2018.  Pashinyan noted the great role of the media in the velvet revolution.  According to him, the role of the media in the history of the country  has always been significant, and now it has increased even more,  since the press, freedom of speech are the most important  institutions of democracy.

However, the acting Prime Minister said that in many cases inertial  perceptions are felt in the media. This is somewhat understandable,  because from the moment independence was acquired, perceptions were  limited to patterns, and this is difficult to change overnight.  According to him, what happened in Armenia was to some extent a shock  for the media. ''We are all accustomed to working in certain  conditions, in a certain logic, and, in fact, many were inclined to  continue this way for a long time. Unexpected changes knocked many  out of the usual channel, and some time is needed for adaptation, "he  said, stressing that the Armenian government would do everything in  its power to ensure freedom of speech, freedom and development of the  press.

He also touched upon the problem of "fake news", calling it a  challenge for both Armenia and the international community in whole.  At the same time, he assured that thanks to the joint work, this  problem can be overcome.