RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Russian Ambassador to Uruguay, Andrei Budayev, said he was “very surprised” and “regretted” the decision of the Uruguayan authorities to suspend the broadcasting of the Russian state-funded international news channel Russia Today (RT), in the context of the conflict between Ukraine.
“The embassy already regretted the decision of the local authorities to suspend the broadcasting of the RT channel,” said Budayev, who further added: “I was really very surprised by this measure that was taken in a country like Uruguay, which has democratic traditions, with respect for pluralism of opinions and freedom of expression.”
The diplomat urged Uruguay to analyze the situation and expressed: “Who is most affected? Russia? Undoubtedly (because) we are sorry to lose the Uruguayan audience. But this measure projects to the interests of the Uruguayans themselves who ask for access to an alternative source of information to be able to draw their own conclusions of what happened.”
“We do not impose anything on anyone,” stressed the Russian Ambassador to Uruguay and added: “We respect Uruguayan laws and the decisions of its authorities, (that is why) we have no choice but to comply with them.”
“I wonder what the signal for the Unesco conference on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, which is planned in the city of Punta del Este at the beginning of May is,” expressed Budáev, in an audio message about the situation in Ukraine, which was released this Sunday by the Russian embassy in Uruguay itself.
The broadcasting of RT was suspended from Vera TV by the president of Uruguay’s National Telecommunications Administration (Antel), Gabriel Gurméndez. The measure was questioned by Cabildo Abierto and Frente Amplio. In addition, in an interview of President Lacalle Pou granted to the news program of channel 12, Telemundo, the president expressed his disagreement with Gurméndez’s decision.