Solovyov told Sputnik, “If they had previously frozen our participation, only the congress could exclude us. The congress is currently taking place in Paris. And, the decision to exclude us was made on Thursday.”

The IFJ, then headed by Frenchwoman Dominique Pradalie, suspended in February 2023 the Russian organization’s participation in opening offices to protect journalists in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions. Solovyov indicated that the IFJ invited the Russian guild to the congress held from May 4 to 7 in France.

He underscored that the UJR decided not to attend the meeting and sent a letter to the IFJ in advance outlining its position.

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