UK officials have refused to issue a visa to a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry accredited to participate in the Global Conference on Media Freedom, the Russian Embassy in the UK said in a statement published on Wednesday, adding that London’s decision "looks really weird" in the context of UK's invitation to Russia to participate in the event.
According to TASS, UK officials have refused to issue a visa to a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry accredited to participate in the Global Conference on Media Freedom, the Russian Embassy in the UK said in a statement published on Wednesday, adding that London’s decision "looks really weird" in the context of UK's invitation to Russia to participate in the event.
Earlier, the UK government refused to accredit Russia’s Sputnik news agency and the RT TV channel to the conference. According to the statement by the UK Foreign Office, Russian media outlets were denied accreditation for their "active role in spreading misinformation." The Russian Embassy in the UK condemned this decision, deeming it "a blatant interference of the executive power into the work of the media."
The Global Conference for Media Freedom is held in London on July 10-11, hosted by UK and Canadian Foreign Ministers Jeremy Hunt and Chrystia Freeland. The forum will deal with such issues as protection of journalists’ rights, prosecution of people committing crimes against media representatives and countering fake news.
