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| 15:43:45 | 22-06-2005 | Social |

DEPUTY MINISTERS EDUCATING THE JOURNALISTS

During today’s seminar organized by the «Liberalization Processes Monitoring
National Center» several deputy ministers referred to the theme
«Transparency of the State Bodies Activity and Information Availability».

According to the RA Finance and Economy deputy Minister David Avetisyan, the
role of the journalists is to create peace. Referring to the link of the
state officials and the journalists he said, «The role of the state
officials is to educate the Mass Media».

According to the RA Commerce and Economic Development deputy Minister Gagik
Vardanyan, the role of the journalists among other thing is to make people
realize that «It is impossible to live well all by itself». But, according
to him, first and foremost the public awareness must be raised. «Public
awareness is knowledge which contributes to the development of economy», he
said. «But do the journalists understand that economic growth can mean
developments, and it cannot? », he added.

RA Agricultural first deputy Minister Samvel Avetisyan was stricter.
According to him, while writing about agriculture the region about which you
write must be taken into account. «We live in a complicated
geographical-political region», he stated. He has also realized that «in the
newspapers the results of the natural calamities are exaggerated». «At the
end of the year they ask us how we manage to state 12% economical growth
when natural calamities have done so much harm to the economy. But the harm
is always local, isn’t it? », said the RA Agricultural first deputy
Minister.

RA CB Council member Vache Gabrielyan was not pleased with the journalists
writing on economical themes. He did not like it when the journalists ask
the Central Bank to foresee if the USD exchange rate will rise or fall.

Those who made speech claimed that the role of the Mass Media is extremely
important in the combat against corruption. As RA Finance and Economy deputy
Minister David Avetisyan mentioned, «The Mass Media had an active
participation in the lotto licensing process».

One of the journalists writing on economical themes reminded the deputy
Minister that the Ministry did not organize a transparent discussion about
the lotto licensing and «the journalists were ousted from the hall». The
deputy Minister did not deny it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress