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Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received on Wednesday OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, his office reports.

Pashinyan stressed that freedom of speech is a key priority for his government, noting that today the press enjoys an unprecedented high level of freedom in the country. Unlike what Armenia had in the past few years, the government has no control over media outlets after his election as prime minister. The acting PM emphasized that this is of paramount importance to him, given his many years of journalistic activity. He stressed that the government of Armenia guarantees freedom of the press, which will never be threatened during its premiership.

Pashinyan noted that the ongoing reforms are aimed at strengthening democracy in the country, developing civil society and ensuring freedom of speech.

Harlem Désir praised the freedom of the press in Armenia and welcomed the government’s activities and policies in this area. He underscored that Armenia is undergoing serious transformations, and the OSCE attaches great importance to the atmosphere and way of working in the field of freedom of speech and media.

The OSCE media monitor stressed the need for appropriate reforms to ensure a gradual increase in public administration system’s transparency, and welcomed the steps aimed at ensuring broad coverage of Cabinet meetings and government discussions through live broadcasts.

The parties expressed satisfaction with the close and effective cooperation between the office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and the relevant government agencies in Armenia. Pashinyan stressed the importance of providing the local media with various mechanisms of assistance from international organizations and expanding the scope of programs in this sphere.

Noting that Armenia is a key partner for the OSCE, Désir assured of his organization’s readiness to deepen cooperation in the field of freedom of information.