Russian ambassador to Latvia says new NATO center in Riga marks effort to block Russia's news media
Russia's ambassador to Latvia, Alexander Veshnyakov, says the opening of a new strategic center for communications in Riga represents NATO's "attempt to influence the information space" in Russia and the Baltic states.
Veshnyakov says the new NATO center will fight against the Russian state news agency Rossiya Segodnya and take aim at him personally. The center, which opened on August 20, is formally dedicated to coordinating NATO efforts, and developing the alliance's "public diplomacy, public affairs, military public affairs, information operations and psychological operations."
There is an "information war" underway between Latvia and Russia, Veshnyakov says, admitting that "elements of information war from the side of Russia" are also "probably present."
“Before, the American point of view dominated the global information space. For instance, goliaths like CNN and other Western media outlets blanketed the whole news industry worldwide, but now, in recent years, agencies such as Rossiya Segodnya have gained serious traction and popularity,” Veshnyakov explains.
- In late August 2015, Latvia refused to register Rossiya Segodnya as a media organization, saying its registration application conflicted with elements of the Latvian Constitution and other national laws.
- Latvia is home to several Russian-language news outlets, including Spektr and Meduza, which you are reading at this very moment.