BERLIN, November 27. /TASS/. The German Foreign Ministry stated that the country's authorities have not shut down the office of Russia's Channel One in Berlin, noting that the issue may be related to visa matters, Reuters reported, citing a spokesperson for the agency.

It was recently reported that the German authorities have decided to shut down the German bureau of Channel One. Employees of the Berlin correspondent office, Ivan Blagoy and Dmitry Volkov, have been ordered to leave the country. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko called it a blatant violation of all fundamental principles of international communication.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also commented on the matter, stating that Russia plans to expel two journalists of the German ARD media group in response to the closure of Channel One’s German bureau. She added that Russia may consider accrediting new ARD employees in case the German government creates conditions for Russian journalists and fully restores the operations of Channel One's correspondent office in Berlin.