MOSCOW, September 4. /TASS/: The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Commission on Foreign Interference in Russia’s Internal Affairs will invite the leadership of German media outlet Deutsche Welle to one of its sessions, head of the commission Vasily Piskarev told reporters on Wednesday.
According to him, the commission plans to "address the leadership, the management with a request to attend" the commission’s meeting. "We will be happy to receive them, and we will get the answers to the questions that interest us," the MP added.
"Is Deutsche Welle planning to work in Russia in the future? Do they plan to adhere to our laws? These questions remain unresolved to us," he stated.
The MP stressed that calls for Moscow residents to attend unsanctioned rallies are illegal. "We would like this matter to be explained," he noted. "The Moscow bureau [of Deutsche Welle] knew that the July 27 protests were not approved."
Piskarev did not rule out the possibility of contacting German MPs in order to resolve the issue. "We will address our Bundestag colleagues if we need to, so that they could help us organize this meeting. This is normal civilized dialogue," the Russian lawmaker concluded.
Earlier, Deutche Welle stated its refusal to attend the sessions of the Russian State Duma commission. Head of Deutsche Welle’s general management invited Piskarev to Bonn or Berlin "to discuss the issue in more detail."
Russia’s Foreign Ministry earlier summoned Beate Grzeski, the charge d’affaires at the German Embassy in Moscow, to emphasize that Deutsche Welle’s calls on Moscow residents to take to the streets in unauthorized rallies were unacceptable. The ministry also reprimanded a US diplomat for publishing information about the August 3 unauthorized rally on the embassy’s website.
