Nine percent of freedom

Will the Echo of Moscow radio station remain? There is no final answer yet. But there have been accumulated many other questions that Boris Nemtsov and Evgeny Yasin answer

Elena Dikun

Boris Nemtsov

- Boris Efimovich, do it not seem to you that the scandal around the Echo of Moscow, in which you were one of the main acting heroes, pretty much soaked your reputation? You were called the Marauder, the laundrator of the reputation of Koch, accused of receiving a bribe.

- The only person who uttered these words was the editor -in -chief of Echo of Moscow Alexei Venediktov. On July 14, at 11.30 in the morning, he came to my house and quietly apologized in the kitchen. Venediktov’s behavior in this whole story is not clear to me and left a bitter precipitate. But today I would not want to judge anyone and hide on the insults that escaped in the fuse. I believe that the maximum that could be done on my part in this situation was done. The result, which no one expected, has been achieved: all journalists continue to work at the radio stations, the resignation statements were recalled and torn, the “echo” remained a private independent company, the controlling stake in the shares does not belong to anyone. This is exactly the position with which I started negotiations with both Koch and Venediktov. I was absolutely disinterested, as you correctly noticed, with damage to my reputation I tried to resolve the conflict between Gazprom-Media and the echo of Moscow so that the radio station survived. It is unlikely that anyone can suspect me of hostility to this radio station. My daughter worked at Echo, I always considered this company very decent and professional, I constantly performed there. Actually, therefore, I offered my services as an intermediary.

-Could you explain why, in the conflict between Gazprom-Media and the Media Most, are you stubbornly trying to make a shareholder? When Gazprom was dealing with NTV, at some point an option arose so that the owners receive 50 percent of the shares, and two shares would move to you.

- Apparently, the whole thing is again in my reputation. I have always played for independent media. When he was still the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, he did not fundamentally establish a single newspaper or television company. It was not by chance that the lower then christened the edge of the "non -frighty journalists."

- But you must admit, a rather strange situation when Alfred Koch, the manager of the company controlled by the state,, in fact, a hired employee, “sells” his shares that does not belong to him.

- The main thing, Koch agreed with the idea that Gazprom should lose control of the Echo. In addition, Koch and, frankly, I also believed that it was necessary to find a person who would suit both the one. It seemed to Koch that such a person could be Nemtsov. Therefore, he decided to give me stocks, I accepted this proposal, and negotiations began. But when lawyers explained to us that I, as a State Duma deputy, by law, cannot accept any gifts, the topic was immediately closed. I emphasize that all shares passed me.

- However, during this time you managed to announce that you are creating a public council of respected people to whom you will transfer shares. What, they never found worthy candidates?

- The Council was created. I proposed the candidacy - Evgenia Grigoryevich Yasin. Holy Man.

-In this story, you are somewhat reminiscent of Roman Abramovich, who just as the mediator in the negotiations between Berezovsky and the state acted in the same way. I mean the shares of ORT.

- Nothing in common. The difference is that Abramovich actually acted as a representative of the state, and the main task of that operation was to put under the presidential control the largest television company. My task was to maintain an independent, private radio station.

“You are not embarrassing that you were in the same company with Alfred Koch?”

- We must adequately evaluate the actions of people. If Koch, in my opinion, behaved with dignity in this situation, then I am not going to hide that I support him. Moreover, we have been familiar for a long time, and I consider him a very smart, educated person.

- Do you realize that, protecting Koch, at the same time lose some of your supporters?

- Yes, I understand that this can affect my political career. But I'm used to telling the truth.

- Is it necessary to understand this that at the conference “Freedom of speech - 2001”, one of the initiators of which you were put a cross?

-No, but now we will do everything differently. Even at the time of the scandal around NTV, it came to my mind the idea of conducting a public discussion about the role of media freedom. Then we discussed it with different people, including in an unforgettable composition: Venediktov - Koch - Nemtsov. The meeting was held at the Angara restaurant. At first, preparations for the conference were normal, but then there was a conflict between the shareholders, and everything collapsed. Surely you will be interested in finding out what Western non -angid experts think about this situation, who nevertheless came to the conference. So, it is wild for them that journalists refuse to publicly defend their positions and conduct an open dialogue.

- But what freedom of speech can we talk about when Koch, for whom it was very important to organize a media forum, essentially blackmail the Echovites, promising to give them shares in exchange for consent to participate in the conference?

- And I will tell you another story. Two weeks before the conference, part of the leadership of the “Echo of Moscow” filed an application for care and arranged its press conference, where unilaterally, without warning anyone and without any explanation, announced that she would not participate in the conference. Then one of the participants in this action admitted to me that in this way they wanted to put pressure on Koch and connect me to resolve the conflict.

Now I understand that I made a mistake, the only founder of the conference was to be the ATP. In the future, we will do so.

- Today, when a fragile world is restored, you do not regret that you generally got into this conflict?

- I think I did a good deed. Instead of “thank you,” I got a lot of slap in the face. But the result is obvious: the ATP proved that he can take responsibility and bring the matter to the end. It turns out that we are the only political force that defended the “echo”. In a word, a “happy end” rare for Russia came out.

Dmitry Dokuchaev

Evgeny Yasin

-Evgeny Grigoryevich, how and when there is an idea that 9.5 percent of the shares of the radio station that became a “apple of discord” between Gazprom-Media and the echo of Moscow have found it with you?

- For a long time observing the course of the conflict, I saw in what an inflated emotional state its participants are located. And he suggested Nemtsov last week, when Koch gave him a stake in, to take on the role of the manager of this package. Venediktov also said about this. And then, last Saturday, I was offered the option that was eventually announced.

- Explain: it seems that Koch gave these actions to Nemtsov, and in your case we are already talking about their purchase. Why?

- Indeed, the gift option has disappeared, and now another scheme has been accepted. Why - I don't know. After all, I actually did not participate in all these negotiations. I play the role exclusively to an intermediary. My task is now, first of all, to remove that negative emotional background that accompanies negotiations. And there it will already be clear what political or commercial motifs behind all this are additionally lied. If difficulties arise again, it will finally become clear that these are not just emotions and not just uncomplicated relationships.

- Why, in your opinion, Boris Nemtsov did not arrange the Echo management as an intermediary, but did you arrange?

- Maybe the fact is that I have been cooperating with the radio station for a long time, more than once expressed my sympathies to the team, I have many friends there. As for Boris Efimovich, perhaps the fact that he was too easily agreed to Koch’s proposal played his negative role, and Venediktov really did not like this. It is more difficult for me to judge more definitely, since I have never been involved in the details of this conflict.

- They call the amount of one million dollars - so much is supposedly the package that you have to buy. Do not bother you with such expenses?

- How much exactly these 9.5 percent cost, I do not know. But you understand that I do not have a million dollars. And there is not even a sum that is 10 times less. Therefore, the issue can be resolved only in one way: participants in the agreement mobilize by mutual agreement certain funds that will be given on me on credit. So that after some time I can return this loan by selling this package of shares to interested investors. Potentially such a buyer may be a team of journalists Echo of Moscow.

- What do you see the final resolution of the conflict around the radio station?

- It consists in the fact that the “echo of Moscow” should be a private, independent radio station. This is the only acceptable option for me. And since there are many people around me who achieve the same (in particular, as it turned out, such people are in the presidential administration), then this goal is quite achievable. I believe that if the current agreement is fulfilled, then we can say with a clear conscience that there is something free in Russia, even if someone does not like it in the government or somewhere else in power structures. At the moment, it remains to clarify only some technical and legal details of the agreements that would allow me to participate in it on the conditions that I have determined for myself. Namely: I do not achieve any posts and do not get any profit from this transaction. For me, this is a purely intermediary mission. The only thing I want to achieve is that the Echo of Moscow radio station remains as free as in the legendary days of August 91st.