Q: According to Le Monde, Russian authorities canceled the accreditation of its Moscow correspondent. The Russian foreign ministry asserts that it will be renewed if Paris begins issuing visas to Russian journalists. How do you respond to that?
A: France condemns the Russian authorities' decision to abruptly revoke the accreditation of Le Monde's Russia correspondent, Benjamin Quénelle.
This decision is all the more significant in that it's the first time since 1957 that Le Monde – one of France's most authoritative newspapers – has been prevented from maintaining a correspondent in Moscow, and Benjamin Quénelle had been an accredited journalist in Russia for more than 20 years, working for La Croix and Les Échos.
The Russian argument that it's a reciprocity measure doesn't hold water. France informed the Russians on several occasions that it was fully prepared to review the applications of actual Russian journalists in France. It is still prepared to do so.
The Russian authorities' unjustified, arbitrary decision is yet another obstacle to the freedom to provide information at a time when the working conditions of independent Russian and foreign reporters in Russia have deteriorated considerably and the freedom of the press is not respected.
France calls on the Russian authorities to reconsider their decision, which otherwise will call for a response.
France reaffirms its staunch and unwavering commitment to the freedom of the press and the protection of journalists worldwide.