Media leaders from 45 countries gathered in Moscow to participate in the seventh BRICS Media Summit, which began on Sept. 14. The theme of the event, leading into the Oct. 22-24 BRICS Summit in Kazan, is the role of the media in a multipolar world, and it is being hosted by Russian state news agency TASS, which celebrated its 120th anniversary on September 1.
President Putin delivered welcoming remarks to the delegates, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, Russia’s BRICS sherpa, noted that “BRICS is not a platform for settling political scores, sorting out relationships, even international ones. It is a platform designed to improve the lives of those countries that are part of it and interact with it.… This is the task that we are solving by deepening cooperation, expanding BRICS.”
The sharpest remarks came from Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who used her opening remarks at the BRICS media summit to blast the Sept. 13 State Department announcement of total sanctions against Russian media, including RT and Sputnik, and anyone who works with them. Zakharova said this is an “emergency situation” that should be of direct concern to all media participants. “Yesterday, Russian journalists became victims of the aggression from the United States of America. They were subjected to a real terrorist and information attack both as a corporation and as individuals.…
“We cannot remain silent. What is happening now to Russian journalists and media organizations … could happen to each and one of you,” she warned, urging the global community to express solidarity. “This is a crime. This is an assault of freedom of speech. This is an assault on the profession of journalism. This is an assault on human dignity.”
Zakharova had more to say on the matter.
