Western influence on Armenian media will not lead to anything good – Russian MFA

The growing Western influence on the media resources of Armenia as well as any other country cannot lead to anything good, Andrey Nastasin, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department, said in a press briefing on Wednesday, commenting on the appointment of Armen Koloyan, a former RFE/RL Armenian Service employee and US citizen, to the position of Director of the Public Radio of Armenia.

Nastasin added that the United States and the West seek to turn public opinion everywhere against Russia. “They want to downplay the importance of the centuries-old Russian-Armenian friendship and the help that Moscow has shown and provides to brotherly Armenia in many different spheres. We have well-established mechanisms of mass communication and interaction with Yerevan. In particular, there is a specialized intergovernmental agreement, interdepartmental dialogue, and contacts with journalists,” he added.

The diplomat recalled that consultations between Russian and Armenian foreign ministries on information support for foreign policy activities and work with the media were held in 2023, and a media forum was held in Yerevan as well. “We expect that in the future we will continue to solve emerging issues with our partners in a purely professional manner,” Nastasin concluded.