MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution on countering Russian media outlets, such as the Sputnik news agency and the RT broadcaster. As many as 304 voted in favor the document, 179 voted against and 208 abstained. With a total of 691 officials taking part in the vote, less than half supported the resolution.
"The European Union countries themselves manipulate their own press against other countries," Cevik said.
According to Cevik, Russia is a democratic state and the main principles of democracy were preserved, but it was shaped "according to the characteristics and needs of the Russian people."
"The European Union countries have always displayed double standards and are still doing so…. For the European Union member countries and their hypocritical members of the European Parliament press freedom and freedom of expression can only be used to serve their own purposes," the advisor said.
The resolution proposed by EU parliamentarian from Poland Anna Elzbieta Fotyga drew parallel between Russian strategic communication and the propaganda disseminated by the Daesh terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries.
"The Russian press is the press of a democratic country and entertains all sorts of ideologies. Daesh is a terrorist entity with no values only created to ruin the good name of Islam and fan Islamophobia throughout the world," Cevik stressed.
Sputnik responded by calling the move a direct violation of media freedom and human rights, while Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the matter by pointing out that the document indicates a degradation of democracy in the West. Praising Sputnik and RT for their work, the president expressed hope that real media restrictions would not follow.
