After the Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu Promulgated the “Anti-Propaganda” Law, Moscow Says It Reserves the Right to Respond

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced at a press briefing on Thursday, January 11, that Moscow reserves the right to respond to the promulgation of the so-called anti-propaganda law by Moldovan Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu, according to a press release of the Russian ministry.

Zakharova accused the parliamentary majority in Chisinau of violating the rights of Moldovan citizens to information and of deviation from democratic norms. “We note with regret that this act of outright discrimination against Russian media is yet another anti-Russia move by the ruling parliamentary majority in Chisinay,” Zakharova said, adding: “We confirm our commitment to the generally recognized principle of reciprocity in international relations and retain the right to take retaliatory measures.”

It should be mentioned that the Speaker of the Parliament Andrian Candu has signed, acting as interim president of the country according to the powers granted by the Constitutional Court, the decree promulgating the law on amending and supplementing the Broadcasting Code, which allows retransmission of informational, analytical, political, and military programs only from the EU, US, Canada, and the countries that ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television.

The Russian Federation is not one of the countries that ratified the Convention.