The Russian The Foreign Ministry said today that it will expel a correspondent and a cameraman from the German broadcaster AER De as a response to the actions taken by the German authorities against Russia's First Channel, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Earlier it was reported that Germany is closing the Russian media bureau in Berlin and that two Russian journalists working for it - a correspondent and a cameraman - have been ordered to leave the country for security reasons.
Germany did not close the office of the Russian First Channel television, and the two journalists who were ordered to leave the country did not meet the legal requirements for residence in the country, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said today, quoted by DPA.< /p>
"Russian journalists can freely and unimpededly cover news in Germany. "A number of Russian journalists are accredited by the Federal Press and Information Service," the spokesman said. He emphasized that the media office in Berlin was not closed.
Earlier today, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it would expel a correspondent and cameraman from Germany's AER De television in retaliation for the closure of Channel One's Berlin bureau and the expulsion of two Russian journalists.
The spokesman for the German government indicated that the right of residence in the country is a matter that the state authorities are dealing with. "Working as a journalist doesn't do you any good if you don't meet the residency requirements," he added.
Germany's foreign ministry remains in close contact with German journalists in Moscow amid concerns that Russia is taking very "tough action" against representatives of the media, the spokesperson of the department also said.