MOSCOW. June 25 (Interfax) - The development by the European Union of the so-called strategy to counter the Russian propaganda is an attempt to oust Russia from the international media field, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
"The proposals by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, F. Mogherini, submitted at a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council on June 23, to devise 'a strategy to counter the Kremlin propaganda' clearly aim to oust Russian presence from the international media field," the ministry said in a commentary posted on its website on Wednesday.
"After introducing restrictive measures against Russian journalists, the EU is trying to formulate conditions for total discrimination against the Russian media," the ministry said.
"By continuing to spread the myth about 'Russian propaganda', the EU is narrowing down space for free work by the media that air sought-after professional views on processes occurring in Europe and worldwide, which represent an alternative to the official EU stance," the commentary reads.
"By depriving millions of Europeans of their right to access various media sources, the EU grossly violates the fundamental and generally-acknowledged right to the freedom of speech, international obligations on pluralism in the media sphere and the unhampered dissemination of information," the ministry said.