YEREVAN. - President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Friday held a reception at the President's Palace for the representatives of mass media on the occasion of New Year and Christmas.

The President congratulated them on the upcoming holidays, wishing good luck to the reporters attending the reception, as well as their families. 

Referring to year 2016, Sargsyan noted that it was a symbolic one, since Armenia celebrated 25th anniversary of its statehood.

''I find it necessary to stress that our country positively excels many others in ensuring freedom of speech and press.  Even at the most tense moments of the war, there was no military censorship in the Republic if Armenia. The military condition can always serve as an occasion for certain people to engage in such temptation. Nevertheless, there is a national accord in Armenia on that restrictions on the freedom of speech are unacceptable. This is one of our most important institutional achievements, which we should all together protect and nourish,'' he noted.

According to the President, this year Armenia faced two challenges: an internal and external one.

''The first one was definitely the four-day April war. Many remain unsettled about the victory of the Armenian people in the fight forced on us. We regularly heard their grinding of teeth, this turning into an attempt of revenge this year. The sons of the Armenian people prevented the spiteful plans of the adversary.

Here I can't but praise the united spirit of the Armenian people, which significantly reflected itself in your work during those days. Despite possible ideological or other contentions, our people turned into a single united fist on those days.

There are issues, which refer to the area of national accord, the future of our heroic Artsakh being indeed the first one in that row. We have very few controversies on this issue. I don't think that even one percent of our people think otherwise. We all wish that Artsakh residents themselves decide their future and their final status,'' Sarsgyan said.  

Touching on the internal challenge, the President pointed the July standoff of the Yerevan police station by an armed group, which also took hostages. ''I have already expressed my precise assessment on these events. I have also precisely assessed the violence against the journalists and their work. Nevertheless, certain people are trying to find something in this, saying that the President told to forget: But I think, it is clear to at least 95 percent what meaning that word was used in.

I strongly believe that issues are not solved by violence in Armenia, this being a provision on which we should reach national accord,'' he stressed.

Sargsyan also noted that the Armenian mass media is looking for effective forms of self-regulation to refer to that issue. Offense, labeling and fraud are merely impermissible tools.

''Today we see that false news have become a challenge even for the mist democratic societies. It is simply impossible to control the diverse and decentralized media sphere of our times.  

I never expect control over our medial sphere. I expect free, independent and responsible work,'' he stressed.