All news

Estonia vows not to ‘give into pressure’ over Russia's Sputnik news agency uproar

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said that Russia will take reciprocal measures if the Estonian authorities continue the same policy toward Sputnik journalists
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu EPA-EFE/Zoltan Mathe
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu
© EPA-EFE/Zoltan Mathe

TALLINN, December 27. /TASS/. The Estonian authorities will not give in to pressure in the situation around Russia's Sputnik news agency, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said on Thursday.

"Estonia will not give in to pressure exerted by any foreign state in issues that pertain to the impartial enforcement of laws on the country's territory," Reinsalu wrote on his official Facebook account.

"When it comes to the situation with Sputnik, the Estonian authorities are implementing the European Union's sanctions policy in accordance with Estonian legislation, among others concerning several citizens of the Russian Federation who support the aggression against Ukraine," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said that Russia will take reciprocal measures if the Estonian authorities continue the same policy toward Sputnik journalists. Matviyenko said that such actions against the Sputnik news agency will negatively impact Russian-Estonian relations.

On Thursday, the Russian Federation Council sent letters to OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic, calling on them to exert influence on the Estonian authorities to stop attempts to restrict the work of the Sputnik news agency.