Latvian FM to Review Content of Sputnik News Website in .Com Domain Zone

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Factual and legal analysis of the content of the Sputnik news agency, a subsidiary of Rossiya Segodnya, in.com domain zone in needed, Latvian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Diana Eglite said Wednesday.

Sputnik has launched a news website Sputnik Latvia available in Russian and Latvian languages within the.com domain zone due to Tuesday's decision of the Latvian authorities to ban news agency's operation in the.lv domain zone. Latvia said that the suspension was linked to Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency Director General Dmitry Kiselev being on the EU sanctions list.

"A news agency controlled by another state has no right to engage in activities in Latvia. The foreign ministry is a state body which coordinates the sanctions regime and draws the attention of the competent authorities, if it finds a violation of the sanctions regime established by the European Union. In turn, the responsible government agencies need to decide on specific measures," Eglite told journalists.

On Wednesday, the representatives of the news agency said that Sputnik Latvia had not violated the country's legislation and operated in full compliance with Latvia's laws that do not require the mandatory registration of online media in the country.

Sputnik is a news agency and radio network with multimedia news hubs in dozens of countries. Sputnik broadcasts through its websites, analog and digital radio, mobile apps and social media. Sputnik newswires run around the clock in English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese.