Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video address to the participants in a roundtable discussion on, Russia-Türkiye: The Role of Media in Boosting Cooperation, Moscow, October 12, 2023

Mr Kondrashov, colleagues.

I am pleased to welcome all of you to the roundtable discussion, “Russia-Türkiye: The Role of Media in Boosting Cooperation.”

Relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Türkiye continue to develop dynamically. An intense political dialogue is underway, and economic numbers are growing by orders of magnitude. Cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere is expanding. In sectors such as energy, our cooperation has taken on a truly strategic nature. I would like to emphasise that our bilateral partnership is based on principles of equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect, and a balance of interests.

Mass media and communications play a major role in building trust and mutual understanding between our two nations. In the current international context, creating and maintaining a favourable information environment around our countries and bilateral cooperation is particularly important. It is crucial for the journalism community in Russia and Türkiye to take a constructive and responsible stance, to be guided by professional ethics, and to rely on statements made by official representatives of Moscow and Ankara.

The progressive development of Russian-Turkish relations in the media sphere fully meets the interests of our countries and peoples and contributes to the deepening of a bilateral dialogue. We consistently advocate establishing direct contacts and practical cooperation across leading media outlets. We highly praise the outcomes of the recently held second Compatriots Media Forum, which took place in Istanbul a few days ago. It was attended by Russian-speaking foreign-based media outlets from nearly 30 countries, and leading Russian media broadcasters, and industry experts.

The primary objective now is to establish coordinated efforts between the media from both countries in combating common information challenges and threats and to develop interaction algorithms to neutralise the effects of disinformation spread by our detractors. We recognise the need to jointly counter all types of fake news and provocative claims in the media space.

In closing, I would like to assure you that the Foreign Ministry will continue to provide maximum support to accredited Turkish journalists in our country. We hope for a similar approach from the Turkish authorities toward members of our media.

I wish the roundtable discussion participants a productive discussion and all the best.