It operated almost illegally for 20 years. Tigran Hakobyan on "Shoghakat"

During the budget discussion in the National Assembly, Tigran Hakobyan, Chairman of the Television and Radio Commission (TRC), announced that Shoghakat TV Company has not been closed, but the authors of the amendment also know that he is not completely in agreement with that decision.

"In my opinion, a more effective way could have been found to solve this problem so that Shoghakat could continue to serve the public, since, after all, it is one of the channels of public broadcasters. However, the mess, the outdated system, the "illness" that accompanied Shoghakat's work were not legally fixed in any way. For almost 20 years, it operated under illegal conditions," Hakobyan stated.

According to him, about two years ago, the RA Radio and Television Agency sent a letter to the Public Broadcaster, informing them that Shoghakat was not fulfilling its obligations under the law.

"It had no educational or cultural orientation. There were almost no educational programs, and the TV channel mainly broadcasted spiritual programs. If we speak on behalf of the public and are guided by the results of monitoring, then we must state that the public almost did not watch that channel. The mission that Shoghakat was supposed to carry out was simply not being fulfilled. An educational channel cannot constantly broadcast sermons on the air, which often express medieval or obscurantist thinking and do not correspond to educational content. I believe that the Public Broadcaster should have a channel of educational and cultural significance, without external interference," the President of the Armenian Radio and Television stressed.