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The French authorities have rejected recent claims made on Moscow’s side that the European Union Member has rejected visas to two more Russian journalists in a reciprocity measure, following the Kremlin’s refusal to extend French journalist Benjamin Quénelle’s permit to work in the country.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters on Friday the decision was not taken as a retaliation measure, claiming France would re-examine the situation, Schengen.News reports.
In early Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticised France for “unleashing a campaign of harassment against Russian media” after the same had rejected visa applications of two journalists from Russian news outlet Izvestia. The latter were scheduled to report on commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2 set to be held this year.
According to Pekov, the French Embassy in Moscow has told the same they were a threat to France’s public order and national security.
Russia Denies Permit to France’s Le Monde for 1st Time Since 1957
Previously on February 5, one of France’s most prestigious newspapers, Le Monde, revealed that Russian authorities had cancelled the press accreditation of its journalist Benjamin Quénelle, who had covered Russia for two decades.
The decision was confirmed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who called Quénelle a casualty of the ‘spat’. According to her, the move followed France’s denial of a visa application filed by journalist Alexander Kudelya of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
This is the first time that Le Monde will be left without a journalist in Moscow since 1957, its current director has pointed out.
The International Federation and the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) have urged the Russian authorities to reconsider and cancel their decision, expressing their support for Quénelle.
Source: https://schengen.news/france-rejects-moscows-accusations-of-discriminatory-visa-denials-for-russian-journalists/
