Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs calls for strengthening of cooperation between Latvian and Swedish electronic media regulators to eradicate hate speech on propaganda channels

On 26 May 2018, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, made a working visit to Sweden and took part in a Baltic Day event, “Baltics 100 years” in the Skansen Open-Air Museum in Stockholm.

At the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States and Sweden, Edgars Rinkēvičs stressed the need for the Swedish and Latvian electronic media regulators to cooperate at the operational level so as to prevent unlawful canvassing and restrict hate speech on Russia’s TV channels. 

The National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) of Latvia would like to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with its Swedish counterpart, said the Foreign Minister and called on the regulators to agree on a solution to restrict systematic occurrences of the manifestations of hate speech in Russian TV programmes as provided for in the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

While taking part in the 14th Baltic Day celebrations in Skansen together with his colleagues from the Baltic States and Sweden, Edgars Rinkēvičs thanked the Swedish government for its decision to set up a special Baltic foundation seeking to foster Swedish-Baltic cultural contacts and public diplomacy. In his address, the Minister also greeted the diaspora of the Baltic States, Latvia in particular, and cooperation organisations in Sweden.