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EU Resolution on Russian Media Masks Internal Rift, Egyptian Experts Say

© Flickr / European ParliamentJournalists in the Plenary chamber of the European Parliament (File)
Journalists in the Plenary chamber of the European Parliament (File) - Sputnik International
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The European Parliament’s (EP) resolution seeking to counteract Russian media outlets violates international law and points to a rift in Europe, at the same time suggesting a certain degree of success of Russian media in the West, Egyptian experts have suggested.

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CAIRO (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution on countering Russian media outlets, such as the Sputnik news agency and the RT broadcaster. As many as 304 voted in favor the document, 179 voted against and 208 abstained. With a total of 691 officials taking part in the vote, less than half supported the resolution, which draws a parallel between Russian media and the propaganda disseminated by Daesh, a jihadist group outlawed in Russia.

The resolution said that Sputnik and RT posed a danger to European unity and called for extra European Commission funding for counter-propaganda projects.

Sputnik responded by calling the move a direct violation of media freedom and human rights, while Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the matter by pointing out that the document indicates a degradation of democracy in the West. Praising Sputnik and RT for their work, the president expressed hope that real media restrictions would not follow.

Several Egyptian specialists have pointed out that the resolution is evidence of a rift within the European community and, apart from its obvious violation of human rights, is also evidence of a certain degree of success of Russian media abroad.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

"It is obvious that this resolution violates international law, European laws related to media freedom. On the one hand we are dealing with a decision of European deputies the implementation of which is not mandatory, on the other hand this could be regarded as an affirmation of the success of Russian media in Europe, their superiority," foreign media specialists and prominent Egyptian TV reporter Hossam Farouk told RIA Novosti.

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The expert stressed that Europe must resist foreign media reports with its own media reports and not political decisions.

"European media are themselves conducting work basically all over the world. Often they violate boundaries, meddle in internal affairs and try to influence the course of action in various corners of the world," Farouk pointed out.

The foreign media specialist stressed that false European media reports have caused a number of international crises and often do not reflect the true state of events, particularly in the Middle East, but also in other parts of the world.

"For example, European media violated all ethical norms of journalism while covering the catastrophe of the Russian plane in the skies above Sinai, publishing false news, not waiting for the official data from investigators. The media have also contributed to the crisis in the relations between Italy and Egypt, publishing false reports on the death of Italian citizen Regini," Farouk said.

He stressed that Russian media reports, which highlight the double standards of European policy, are pushing the Europeans to take inappropriate measures such as the recent resolution against Russian media.

MASKING INSECURITIES

Apart from being a direct reaction to the work of Russian media abroad, the EU parliament resolution also aims to react to the foreign policy of Russia, former advisor to Egypt’s foreign minister Reda Shehata told RIA Novosti.

"A rift within the European Parliament is evident, especially if we pay attention to the fact that the number of opponents of the decision and those who abstained together was higher than that of those who supported the resolution," Shehata pointed out, adding that the supporters "wanted to react to the foreign policy of Russia, particularly in relation to Ukraine and Syria."

The expert suggested that the resolution could also be an early counteraction to the potential policies of Washington under the presidency of Donald Trump.

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"There are obvious signs that there will be a new approach to the situation in the Middle East, especially with regard the Syrian crisis, as well as the approach to the crisis in Ukraine … the EU expects a rapprochement between Moscow and Washington on these issues," Shehata said.

He stressed that the European Parliament is trying to fabricate a problem of Russian propaganda against the European Union, but the real issue is that Europe is attempting to stand against Moscow’s foreign policy by using the slogan of democracy.

The former advisor to Egypt’s foreign minister pointed out that Russia has been crucial in the fight against terrorism, both in the Middle East and in Europe, and suggested that Europe support Moscow in that direction instead of attacking Russian media.

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