The withdrawal of an invitation to TASS photojournalist Mikhail Tereshchenko to the World Press Photo awards ceremony runs counter to common sense and the spirit of journalistic solidarity, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

"It certainly defies common sense and goes against the spirit of journalistic solidarity," the Kremlin spokesman said.

The organizers earlier said they could not invite Tereshchenko to the award ceremony to be held in May in Amsterdam due to "the increased tensions on the European continent."

The photos taken by the TASS photo correspondent during the period of political unrest in Georgia secured first place in the category of Stories for the European region and were nominated for the World Press Photo of the Year award.

Source: TASS