Russia will not change legislation forbidding foreigners to set up media outlets in the country when it joins the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“Our main restriction on the media is that foreign nationals and stateless persons cannot act as founders,” Maxim Medvedkov, Russia’s chief WTO negotiator, told reporters on Wednesday.
Regulations on radio and television will also stay the same, Medvedkov added.
WTO finalized terms for Russia’s accession last week, enabling it to gain final approval at a WTO meeting next month and to join the trade club early next year.