Business programme

The concept of ‘foreign media’ or ‘foreign agent’ arouses keen interest and many questions. Who might it apply to? What responsibilities are conferred by this status? How should foreign media conduct their business in accordance with the law?

Moderator
Petr Lidov-Petrovskiy, Director of Communications, Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency

Petr Lidov-Petrovskiy

Director of Communications, Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency

Panellists
Adib Al-Sayed, Head, Foreign Correspondent Association
Anna Belkina, Deputy Editor-in-Chief; Director of Marketing & Strategic Development, RT
Aleksey Venediktov, Editor-in-Chief, “Echo of Moscow”
Maria Zakharova, Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Alexander Malkevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for Mass Media
Eduard Chesnokov, Deputy Editor of the International Policy Department, KP.ru
Zaur Sheozh, Bureau Chief, Moscow Bureau Al Jazeera

Anna Belkina

Deputy Editor-in-Chief; Director of Marketing & Strategic Development, RT

Maria Zakharova

Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Born December 24, 1975, in Moscow
Graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1998 in the field of international journalism. Has the diplomatic rank of Envoy extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the first class.
Joined the Russian Foreign Ministry after graduation. Worked as an editor of the monthly magazine “Diplomatic bulletin”. Acted as the head of the Media operational monitoring department of the Information and Press Department. Worked as Head of the press service of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the UN in New York from 2005 to 2008. Held various positions in the Central Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2011. Worked as Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2015.
Appointed Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 2015.
Candidate of Historical Sciences.
Member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia, a member of the Board of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaks English and Chinese fluently.

Alexander Malkevich

General Director, Saint Petersburg TV Channel

Front row participants
Aidar Botagarov, Officer, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (online)
Andris Kuznieks, Head of Press and Information Section, Delegation of the European Union to the Russian Federation (online)
Andrei Shary, Director, Russian Service of Radio Liberty (online)