Rossiya Segodnya to Appeal Latvian Agency Refusal in Court

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency will challenge in court Latvia’s refusal to register the agency’s office in the country, the agency's Director General Dmitry Kiselev said Friday.

In late August, Latvia refused an application to register a representative office of Rossiya Segodnya in the Baltic state. Later, Chief Notary of Latvia’s Register of Enterprises Guna Paidere decided to uphold the decision, saying it was motivated by the fact that the media outlet's editorial line does not comply with the Constitution of Latvia and the official position of the government.

"We will challenge in court the decision to refuse registration of our bureau in Latvia. The motivation of the Latvian side is absurd. Essentially, we are forbidden to publish information that does not fit with the official position of the Latvian government. What is that if not blatant censorship?" Kiselev said.

Earlier on Friday, Editor-in-Chief of Rossiya Segodnya Margarita Simonyan said that Latvia needs to generate more employment, but potential jobs are being "successfully displaced" by phobias in relation to Russia.

Since 2014, Russia’s relations with the West have deteriorated over Crimea’s joining Russia and the Ukraine crisis. The United States and the European Union member states, including Latvia, have blamed Russia for interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs, while Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Amid conflicting stances on the Ukrainian crisis, a number of media outlets have adopted a one-sided approach to covering the events. The Baltic states have taken harsh stances toward Russian media operations.

Last month, the Estonian border agency denied entry to Rossiya Segodnya’s Multimedia Programs Director Marina Perekrуstova. Earlier this year, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite announced amendments to the country's media law to counter what it deemed as Russian propaganda.