Further Measures Against DW Can Be Avoided if Russian Journalists Have Equal Rights - Russian FM

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Further retaliatory steps against German state media Deutsche Welle (DW) in Russia will not be necessary if Germany ensures equal rights for Russian journalists working abroad, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The important point is that the subsequent stages of response measures will not be required if the German side shows a constructive attitude and ensures equal rights for Russian journalists working in Germany," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry emphasized that the closure of the DW bureau in Moscow, which affected 16 Russian citizens and three foreigners (from Germany, the UK and the US), does not mean that these individuals can no longer work in Russia.

"They can collect and analyze information from open sources… prepare reports and materials for the needs of the central editorial office of the German media, act as experts, etc. As for foreign citizens, they can still freely stay on the territory of the Russian Federation on the basis of previously issued Russian visas and carry out the above activities on an equal basis with their Russian editorial colleagues," the Russian foreign ministry explained.

The ministry stressed that Russia is ready to reconsider its decision with respect to DW if Germany provides equal opportunities for the Russian channel RT DE.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Deutsche Welle reporters can work in Russia if they arrive as part of the pool of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on February 15.

At the start of February, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow was closing the DW bureau in Moscow, annulling the accreditation of its employees, and terminating DW satellite and other broadcasts in response to the RT DE ban in Germany. A ministry official told Sputnik that if Germany were to revisit its position on RT DE, Moscow would respond in kind.

RT DE had received a broadcasting license in Serbia, which gives it the right to broadcast in most EU countries, including Germany. Nonetheless, German media regulator MABB said that RT DE was officially banned in Germany because it lacked the necessary permission for broadcasting.