Sputnik has been suspended in the European Union since March 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The agreement, signed on Thursday by representatives of the two news agencies during a videoconference, will allow for the creation of a Russian-language portal of Tasnim, the Iranian media outlet reported today.
Tasnim’s editor-in-chief Abdollah Abdolahi called the partnership an important step in countering “Western hegemony”, while Sputnik’s international editor Vasili Pushkov said the agreement represents “a united front against mainstream Western media”.
Both Abdolahi and Pushkov and Sputnik’s Middle East bureau chief Ivan Zakharov highlighted Iran’s role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Tehran’s possible membership in the BRICS bloc, led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In March 2022, EU countries approved the suspension of Russian news agency Sputnik and TV channel Russia Today from broadcasting in Europe, claiming that they are instruments of disinformation by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
