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German politicians and people are very well aware of current challenges faced by the Baltic countries in failing to shield the minds of their people against intrusive propaganda coming from its neighbour. German politicians raised this issue during all the meetings, and that clearly attests to their readiness to offer practical support in strengthening the media landscape of the Baltic countries and of Europe as a whole. This is how Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, summarised her visit to Bavaria that concluded on Tuesday, 17 March.

“Our German colleagues share our assessment of the situation and are concerned about the impact of propaganda spread by Russia, especially among people who use only Russian media. We have to admit that some EU member states are failing to adequately respond to attempts of a multi-billion industry to distort reality not only through news programmes but also through entertainment programmes and films. This is the major challenge for our region today, and we need the support and assistance of our allies,” stressed Inese Lībiņa-Egnere.

According to the Deputy Speaker, a number of possible solutions were discussed with German colleagues, including creation of a strong pan-European Russian-language TV channel and diversification of the Baltic media landscape by retransmitting German channels, for instance.

The Deputy Speaker also added that Germany has always been one of Latvia’s major partners and supporters of our Euro-Atlantic integration. We are grateful for Germany’s significant role and unwavering support which can be felt even today as we steer through our Presidency of the Council of the European Union and deal with unprecedented security challenges faced by the entire Europe.

From 14 to 17 March, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, is visiting Munich, Germany. During her visit, the Deputy Speaker met with officials from the Bundestag and the Bavarian Landtag, took part in a panel discussion on priorities of the Latvian Presidency and inaugurated a series of concerts by Latvian musicians.

Photos from the visit are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157649037351773/
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Saeima Press Service