Comment of the Ambassador of Russia to Australia Grigory Logvinov - Australia

About two weeks ago Mr Joel Tozer, one of the producers of the “60 Minutes” program on the “Сhannel 9”, requested a detailed and comprehensive interview with me on topical issues of the international agenda. Producer of the “60 Minutes” program Mr Gareth Harvey met with me to agree on all corresponding questions. During the conversation he admitted the fact, that Australian media have gravely distorted my remarks made by me during the press-conference and recent interviews, biased nature of broadcasted video collations, cases of improper behavior of journalists and promised that his TV-show will provide a highly objective and complete picture. Taking into account these assurances and that “60 Minutes” positions itself as a “leading current affair program with a proven record of excellence over three decades” I gave my consent to the  interview. One of the conditions laid down by me was to provide the Russian Embassy with the full footage of the interview for placing it at the Embassy’s web-site. Mr Harvey promised to do that. Besides, responding to the request of Mr Harvey, I had given my word to refrain from further major political comments before the program was aired on April 22. I have completed my part of the arrangement.

To my unpleasant surprise, the whole transmission of the interview within “60 Minutes” lasted approximately 15 Minutes. My comments were limited to 5 Minutes at most and they appeared to be just bluntly cut fragments, taken out of context and focused on the possibility of infernal development of the international situation, mentioned by me. All of this was given on the background of the Russian military parade on the Red Square and commentaries by the Head of the Strategic and Defense Studies Centre of the Australian National University John Blaxland. It was obviously aimed at depicting the Russian Ambassador threating with the “nuclear stick” and proving an “aggressive nature” of the Russian state. By the way, I would like to invite Mr Blaxland to live debates.

One can only express surprise that in response to reasonable objections and complaints from our side, Mr Harvy started to assert that it is an absolute adequate editing of the interview, and the time provided for my comments was “extensive”. For those who doesn’t know, the “60 Minutes” team was working in my residence for five hours and the conversation with journalist Ms Tara Brown lasted for hour and a half. By the way, she specially arrived from Sydney to Canberra by plane. Was it all done only to create the five-minutes video? I would never believe that. I can’t consider that remained bobtailed chunk as my interview, and I refuse to admit that it were my words. As Mr Harvy reported, he is editing an extended version now, and I have no guarantees that it will not be politically crippled in the same way. If the content of this version will not be confirmed with me, I refuse to acknowledge that it is my interview.

It is too late to establish the truth now. Moreover, the “60 Minutes program” has not kept its promise and refuses to provide the full footage. However, I don’t have any complaints to the program and its team including Ms Brown and Mr Harvey. I suppose that they truly wanted to create a comprehensive and extensive interview. The aired remains were not worth of 5 hours video filming, flight of the journalist form Sydney and e.c. I have no doubts, that the initial version has not passed political control. In other words – censorship. What was done is not the work of professional journalists, but of politically committed censor. Same attitude I feel continually. When I met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia Julie Bishop on March 28, it was agreed in advance that we will exchange first phrases “on camera”. In accordance with the common media practice, the remarks of both sides should be broadcasted in full. However, these of Ms Bishop were fully shown and only the quarter of my words remained. By the way, during the conversation with Ms Brown I repeated everything what was missed. At present Russian side has found participants of the staged chemical incident in Syrian Douma: the boy who was allegedly “poisoned” by chlorine and a woman who allegedly “died” from the gas attack, foaming at the mouth (it was a toothpaste foam). The Australian media has not reported that.

During the interview with “60 Minutes” I said (I admit – this phrase was saved) that I feel sorry for the partners of the USA and the Great Britain, who have been fed with primitive and incompetent fake stuff, and they have to repeat it. In this case, I am feeling sorry for journalists, who are obliged to sacrifice their professional honour and human dignity in general to support dirty political games.