MOSCOW. Aug 3 (Interfax) - The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has designated the Belgium-registered Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies unwelcome in Russia.
"Having studied the available materials, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has declared the activity of a foreign non-governmental organization, the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies (Martens Center), founded by former Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens in Brussels in 2007 under the aegis of the European People's Party as a think tank to formulate new policy options for EU member states, unwelcome in the Russian Federation," the office said.
Since 2014, "the events organized by the center under the educational guise have been focused entirely on creating a negative image of the Russian Federation and justifying the need for a military-political and information standoff with Russia and enhancing the pressure of sanctions to harm the economic development of our country," the office said.
"Invited foreign pseudo-experts who are citizens of Russia sponsored from abroad promote the idea of economic and constitutional reforms that allegedly must be carried out in case of a change of administration in the Russian Federation. Attempts are being made to create a negative image of Russian citizens and events unfolding in Russia, which is in stark contrast to the real circumstances," it said.
As the Russian special military operation in Ukraine began, "the center has been promoting the idea of the need to impose additional sanctions on the Russian Federation and its people and to increase all kinds of assistance, including military, to the Kiev regime," the office said.