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On December 29 the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan had a reception on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas with the heads and reporters of the mass media, who were accredited in the parliament. Addressing the present the NA Speaker said:

“Dear representatives of mass media, colleagues,

I am glad to again host you in the National Assembly. We are closing with you a page of one more year and meeting together a New Year. I say together because I am sure that the legislative power and the fourth power have one aim - just and democratic state, well-to-do society, only the instruments are different. Your instrument is the word and speech. According to my assessment, the most powerful and influential weapon. The word, speech can defend the justice, defend the beauty and the good, and the word can do the biggest injustice.

Yes, your force is in your word and speech, but I am sure that you’ll agree with me that only the truthful and unbiased speech can be strong and influential, because only unbiased and just media can influence on public and can form the same very public opinion.

The fourth power is one of the most important achievements of independent Armenia, and I as a citizen and as a political figure, really wish that each of you with your work has one firm stone in the basis of building more and more powerful Armenia of our tomorrow.

150 years ago the well-known publisher of Manchester Guardian said: ‘The commentaries can be free, but the facts serve as saint truth, and one should not distort it.’ I am sure that you won’t reject that these words are urgent today.

I respect and I assess your work, the work of all the mass media, which know the value of their word. And it’s not said by chance that the unbiased press is like oxygen, when as if, you don’t feel, and when there isn’t you get choked.

I’ve told you that my each day begins by contacting with you. I soberly refer to any, even the most radical criticism, if it is unbiased, and it has a fact in its basis, but not a slander. And when I come across with slander, believe me, I refer to it with humour. I remember Charles d Gaulle, when he was asked how his health was, he answered: “ I don’t know, I haven’t got through the press.”

Dear colleagues, I really emphasize your work, I emphasize our jointly work, I am sure that it will be continued in the atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.

Let’s be tolerant towards each other’s views and opinions, but never to shortcomings, as the unbiased criticism, by my deep conviction, is a compulsory and necessary condition boosting the activities of the state. I am sure that your activities have just this very goal.

I congratulate you on the New Year and Christmas, and I wish you resoluteness to always say and defend the truth. I wish you success, inflexibility, welfare and optimism.

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!”

By the order of RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan for long-year and conscientiously covering the works of the parliament the journalists, accredited in the NA Tamara Hovnatanyan (Novoye Vremya), Mariam Barseghyan (Yerkir Media TV Company), Anush Dashtentz (report.am website), Diana Markosyan (A1+ agency) cameramen Hakob Sargsyan (H1 TV company) and Ashot Adumyan (H2 TV company) were awarded RA NA Speaker’s nominal watches.