German Minister for Media Advocates Dialogue With Russia Over DW, RT DE Reciprocal Bans

BERLIN (Sputnik) - German Minister for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth said Moscow and Berlin should seek dialogue on the situation around the Russian TV channel RT DE and the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), noting that RT DE could apply for a broadcasting license in Germany.

On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow would close the DW bureau and annul the accreditation of its employees in response to the RT DE ban in Germany. The ministry also promised to initiate a procedure to recognize DW as a foreign agent. At the same time, a high-ranking official in the Russian ministry said that if Germany changed its position on RT DE, then Moscow would also respond positively. In turn, Latvian Minister of Justice Janis Bordans proposed to move the DW office to Riga if Moscow would not lift the ban on its work.

"What we need is not aggressive actions, but dialogue, de-escalation instead of escalation," the German media minister said on the air of the German ARD broadcaster.

At the same time, Roth called Russia's measures against DW "aggressive." The minister stressed that she was "really upset" to know about the situation, especially given the fact that she had just discussed the issue of improving relations between the countries with Special Representative of Russian President on International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy.

Roth promised to explain to Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova the difference between the RT DE ban in Germany and the closure of the DW office in Moscow.

"I will again try to explain everything to my colleague, the Russian minister of culture, I will again clarify the difference, as well as legal conditions that exist in Germany," the German minister said.

In addition, Roth noted that RT DE could apply for a broadcasting license in Germany and take legal steps regarding the ban.

German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said on Friday that Berlin had outlined "a legal way" to resolve the situation with RT DE in Germany.

However, earlier in the day, a high-ranking official in the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow had proposed ways to resolve the crisis around RT DE during the visit of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to Russia, but Berlin had refused to discuss the issue.