Post by zgembo on May 21, 2008 23:46:16 GMT -5
Russia Hails Its Free State TV News Channel's Debut in Serbia
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 09:00 CDT
Text of report by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS
Moscow, 21 May: The Russian Foreign Ministry assesses "very positively" the beginning of broadcasting by Russian [state-owned] news channel Vesti TV in Serbia, the ministry's acting spokesman Boris Malakhov has said.
A presentation marking the beginning of free broadcasting by the Russian TV channel was held in Belgrade on Monday [19 May].
"We are pleased that the Russian audience of 30m viewers will be joined by 350,000 households that will receive the Vesti signal by cable TV. We believe that the beginning of the channel's broadcasting will contribute to strengthening friendship between our peoples.
"Given that we are actively developing our trade and economic ties, as confirmed by the recently signed agreement on the construction of a gas pipeline and gas deliveries to Serbia, we believe that a TV channel broadcasting mass economic information will contribute to the development of trade and economic ties," Malakhov said.
For his part, the head of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev, said that "for many years people in that country [Serbia] lived in conditions, if not of isolation from information, then at least with a distorted view of what was happening around Serbia and what other countries think about Serbia, including Russia".
"A false dilemma was imposed on the population of Serbia to the effect that they are obliged to make a European choice, and that there is no alternative to this. That any other choice, like, for example, in favour of relations with Russia, will automatically cross out all the other alternatives, including Serbia's possible membership in the European Union," Kosachev said.
At the channel's presentation in Belgrade, its editor in chief Dmitriy Mednikov said that Vesti would work with all TV operators in Serbia, which number around 50 cable systems, in distributing the channels signal.
"For the time being, Serbia will be the only country in the world where Vesti TV channel will be distributed free of charge," Mednikov said.
Originally published by ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 0838 21 May 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 09:00 CDT
Text of report by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS
Moscow, 21 May: The Russian Foreign Ministry assesses "very positively" the beginning of broadcasting by Russian [state-owned] news channel Vesti TV in Serbia, the ministry's acting spokesman Boris Malakhov has said.
A presentation marking the beginning of free broadcasting by the Russian TV channel was held in Belgrade on Monday [19 May].
"We are pleased that the Russian audience of 30m viewers will be joined by 350,000 households that will receive the Vesti signal by cable TV. We believe that the beginning of the channel's broadcasting will contribute to strengthening friendship between our peoples.
"Given that we are actively developing our trade and economic ties, as confirmed by the recently signed agreement on the construction of a gas pipeline and gas deliveries to Serbia, we believe that a TV channel broadcasting mass economic information will contribute to the development of trade and economic ties," Malakhov said.
For his part, the head of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev, said that "for many years people in that country [Serbia] lived in conditions, if not of isolation from information, then at least with a distorted view of what was happening around Serbia and what other countries think about Serbia, including Russia".
"A false dilemma was imposed on the population of Serbia to the effect that they are obliged to make a European choice, and that there is no alternative to this. That any other choice, like, for example, in favour of relations with Russia, will automatically cross out all the other alternatives, including Serbia's possible membership in the European Union," Kosachev said.
At the channel's presentation in Belgrade, its editor in chief Dmitriy Mednikov said that Vesti would work with all TV operators in Serbia, which number around 50 cable systems, in distributing the channels signal.
"For the time being, Serbia will be the only country in the world where Vesti TV channel will be distributed free of charge," Mednikov said.
Originally published by ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 0838 21 May 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.