ST. PETERSBURG, June 3. / TASS /. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Media Freedom Teresa Ribeira is expected to visit Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced on Thursday at a business breakfast on the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum’s sidelines.
"This [the law on foreign media agents] is a tit-for-tat measure, by the way, we really want to discuss this topic with European officials," the Russian diplomat said. "We are waiting for new OSCE Representative on Media Freedom Ms. Ribeira's visit, she has been invited to Moscow. We understand that there are some COVID-19 restrictions but we will be happy to discuss this topic in any format."
Zakharova noted that it was impossible to avoid addressing challenging issues, and Russia was not afraid of these conversations. Meanwhile, the spokeswoman recalled that over the past 4-5 years, the Russian Foreign Ministry had sent at least two notes to the EU permanent mission asking to provide data on how foreign journalists, in particular the Russian ones, were accredited in the EU. "We regularly face a situation when Russian journalists are not allowed to enter the country or are not given accreditation," the Russian diplomat said.
According to Zakharova, the EU permanent mission has not responded so far.
Russia adopted the law on foreign media agents in 2017. In late 2019, the document was expanded also covering individuals. Under the law, the content of foreign mass media recognized as a foreign agent has to be distributed in Russia only with the appropriate labeling. The law aims to inform the Russian reader that such publications pursue other states’ interests.