My Step faction head comments on leakage of behind-the-scenes footage of PM’s address
"What happened is unacceptable to us," ruling My Step parliamentary faction head Lilit Makunts told a briefing on Monday, referring to the leaked footage showing behind-the-scenes preparations of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for addressing the nation over coronavirus in a televised message.
The deputy expressed hope those responsible will be held accountable in a short period of time.
"Our position on the issue is tough and decisive. For us, it is first and foremost a matter of information security, since while the prime minister was not aware that the live broadcast had started, expressions could be made that would pose serious security treats. Therefore, first of all, we consider the issue from that point of view, and we expect that in a short term all this will have repercussions and the culprits will bear responsibility," Makunts said.
According to her, if the issue is not resolved in a short period of time, My Step will summon the National Commission on Television and Radio to the faction not only to demand that such cases be ruled out from now on, but also to ask the latter to deal with the matter.
The deputy stressed that at the moment it is not important for them whether the leakage of the footage was due to the lack of professionalism, negligence of the broadcasting staff or a deliberate move.
Makunts disagreed with the claims that the prime minister’s spokesperson is largely to blame for the incident.
"The prime minister's spokesman has clear-cut responsibilities, which do not include mastering the technical nuances of broadcasting. The broadcasting staff should have informed the prime minister about the livestream,” she stressed.
Asked to comment on the new law on the illegal property confiscation, Makunts said she had no information on who were going to return their property of illicit origin to the stat and taxpayers, but gave her strong assurances the measure would be effective.