BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 19. The event titled "Azerbaijan National Press-149" was held in Baku, TurkicWorld reports.
The event, organized jointly by the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Media Development Agency (MEDİA), and the Press Council, began with the singing of the national anthem of Azerbaijan, followed by a minute of silence in memory of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the sons and daughters of the Motherland who died in the struggle for the territorial integrity of the country.
Addressing the event, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan State Information Agency, Daghbeyi Ismayilov, noted the Akinchi newspaper was published in the Azerbaijani language 149 years ago.
He reminded that Hasan bey Zardabi, who created this newspaper, was its editor and publisher and laid the foundation for media development.
Daghbeyi Ismayilov mentioned that in the following 149 years, the Azerbaijani press, despite difficulties, passed a fast development path and achieved success thanks to this foundation.
"National Leader Heydar Aliyev made a great contribution to the development of the press in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani press faced great constraints along the way. The Press Council, established by the decision of the First Congress of Journalists of Azerbaijan, played an important role in the development of the media in our country. As a result of measures taken in this field, the debts of print media to publishing houses in Azerbaijan were written off.
Today, the Azerbaijani nation is a winner. Azerbaijan won the second Karabakh War thanks to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The decree on acceleration of reforms in the field of media was signed approximately one year after the war. Serious reforms in this sphere started with the establishment of the Media Development Agency," he added.
Chairman of the Press Council, Rashad Majid, noted that the path started by Hasan Bey Zardabi 149 years ago had a great effect on the future destiny of Azerbaijan. It was Hasan Bey Zardabi and the path started by the "Akinchi" newspaper that later led to the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan.
He stressed that Azerbaijani journalists played a great role in preserving the purity of the Azerbaijani language in the Soviet period as well.
"National Leader Heydar Aliyev attached great importance to journalism and freedom of speech even in the Soviet period while leading Azerbaijan. We witnessed it in the years of independence as well. Censorship, which had existed in Azerbaijan for many years, was stopped in 1998 by the decree of the National Leader. The policy of supporting the press, initiated by great leader Heydar Aliyev, continues successfully under President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state has repeatedly expressed his opinion on the issue of supporting the independent press in Azerbaijan. One such example is the adoption of the new Law on Media and the establishment of the Media Development Agency," he added.
Referring to the invariable values of journalism, Audio-Visual Council member Bakhtiyar Garaja stated that they are objectivity, fidelity to truth, and facts.
"There was a time when Azerbaijan had only one television and one radio. Today, there are dozens of TV, radio, and other media outlets. The Audiovisual Council, at a time of abundance of media, tries to regulate as much as the law and the right allow," he emphasized.
According to a member of the Supervisory Board of the Media Development Agency, Vugar Zifaroglu, who addressed the event, the history of the Azerbaijani press is rich in both proud and glorious developments.
"This history is closely linked to the formation of national identity, the Enlightenment movement, and cultural development. Glancing back at this history, we see that our journalism, which played a significant role in the process of national struggle and national identity, has always been distinguished by its stance.
Nowadays, we are witnessing constant and systematic work with the media in Azerbaijan. Our journalism, which underwent significant changes with the abolition of censorship in 1998, is developing with the new laws "On Media"," he noted.
The event was also addressed by Sabina Seyidova, Head of the Media Analysis Department of the Media Development Agency of the Azerbaijan Republic, Mehriban Mammadova, Head of the Media Support and Strategic Planning Projects Department of the Agency, and a representative of AzerGold CJSC.
Afterward, the results of the contest organized by the Media Development Agency on the theme "Year of Solidarity for a Green World" and the contest of creative media content in Baku held within the MEDIAlab project were announced, and winners were awarded.
