― 24 июля 2024 г.
Second Global Media Forum held in Shusha
The forum entitled ‘Exposing False News: Combating Disinformation’, which started on July 20th and was inaugurated by the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev was attended by more than 150 participants from 50 countries. The forum discussed the fight against disinformation, the impact of artificial intelligence on the media, the promotion of media literacy and climate-related issues. Distinguished media representatives shared their views at the panels organised continuously for two days.
As part of the cultural programme of the Forum, excursions were organised to the unique architectural style of Shusha, the 2023 Capital of Culture of the Turkic World, where information about the national and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people was shared. During the excursions, where the damage caused by Armenia to historical and cultural heritage during the occupation period was explained, the participants also had the opportunity to see the restoration and reconstruction works carried out in Shusha. Documentary screenings, official meetings and various side events were also organised within the scope of the forum.
President Aliyev: ‘We will never forget the occupation and our losses.’
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev answered the questions of members of the media at the opening of the event, which was attended by more than 150 participants from nearly 50 countries. During the event, which lasted for about three hours, President Aliyev was asked questions in many different fields, especially foreign policy, climate and economy. Answering questions in four different languages, President Aliyev's statements on the Karabakh Victory, the transformation in Karabakh and the participation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a member of TURKSOY, in the meetings as a CIS Observer member drew attention.
President Ilham Aliyev started his speech by expressing that the doors of Azerbaijan are always open to all participants and that they are pleased to be in Shusha and stated that a historical transformation has been achieved in Karabakh and said: ‘We will never forget the occupation, its consequences, our losses and our great victory. We and future generations will always be proud of this.’
‘’TRNC's participation in the CIS summit is an important step towards its recognition.’
Reminding that he had invited TRNC President Ersin Tatar to Azerbaijan a few months ago in response to a question asked during his speech, Aliyev said: ‘I especially invited him to the Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States. For the first time, he was at the same table with the TRNC flag. Here we fulfilled our brotherhood debt. Mr Ersin's participation in this meeting is an important step towards the recognition of the TRNC. We will always stand by our Cypriot brothers.’
The Official Opening of the Forum was made by the Vice President of Azerbaijan Mr. Hikmet Hajiyev.
Following the special event on the first day with the surprise participation of President Ilham Aliyev, the Forum was officially opened by the Vice President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev. In his speech, Vice President Hajiyev noted that disinformation is not a new phenomenon. ‘Information is a very powerful tool. But how it is used is a big question mark. The most dangerous thing is that disinformation turns into manipulation and psychological warfare against the Azerbaijani people,’ Hajiyev said, noting that disinformation can be a tool for certain groups to achieve their goals and can lead to wars.
Informing forum participants that Azerbaijan had been subjected to occupation for many years, but foreign media showed it in a different way, Vice President Hajiyev said: ‘Some foreign media outlets reported as if we had committed a crime against Armenia, whereas we were the occupied country. However, we persistently put into operation the means of refutation. Through official statements and press conferences, we were conveying accurate information and the truth to the world. Our media made a great contribution to this process.’
First Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Union of Turkish News Agencies
The meeting held within the framework of the 2nd Global Media Forum in Shusha was attended by Vugar Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC), Bekzat Jusip, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kazakhstan Qazcontent Media Company, Mederbek Shermetaliyev, Director of Kyrgyzstan National News Agency (Kabar), Durdona Salihova, Editor-in-Chief of Uzbekistan News Agency (UzA) and Robert Karasz, the Creative Director of the Hungarian News Agency.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of AZERTAC Aliyev said that the first management meeting of ATNA in Shusha which is one of the most important cities of the Turkic World, is one of the events that will leave a historical mark in the field of media in the Turkic World. AA Board Member Özkır, who took part in the meeting, stated that successful works were carried out under the chairmanship of AA for the establishment of the foundation of ATNA, which was established on November 6th, 2023. While ATNA Secretary General Elshen Shahbalayev briefed the participants on the activities of the organisation other issues discussed at the meeting included the logo and website of ATNA as well as the organisation of joint training programmes between news agencies.
The 2nd Global Media Forum also featured TRT World's documentary on the post-victory transformation in Karabakh, ‘The Great Comeback: Karabakh’. Oubai Shahbandar who is the presenter and producer of the documentary from TRT World stated in an interview before the screening that his main goal was not only to convey political and historical events, but also to show the belief and perseverance of heroes of Shusha. The documentary, which is available to all viewers on Youtube, received full marks from its viewers for its interesting portrayal of what happened in Karabakh through the stories of various people as well as the 44-day war.
COP 29 to be hosted by Azerbaijan
One of the most interesting interviews of the 2nd Global Shusha Forum was the interview with Elnur Soltanov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan and CEO of COP 29, who shared information about the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 29), which Azerbaijan will be hosting on November 11th-22nd, 2024. Mr. Soltanov emphasised that climate change affects all countries and that it is important for each country to fulfil its obligations in this regard.
Artists who took the scene at the Gala Dinner were strongly appreciated for their colourful performance.
After two days of panels, side events and cultural excursion programmes, the 2nd Global Media Forum ended with the closing speech of Ahmet İsmailov, Director of Azerbaijan Media Development. Thanking the participants in his speech, İsmailov said: ‘I believe that your acquaintanceship here will last a lifetime. We sincerely believe that you left Shusha with good feelings and we look forward to hosting you once again in Azerbaijan.’ Nearly 30 artists took the stage at the Gala Dinner organised after the closing session and won great appreciation of the participants of the forum with their colourful performances.
Media Members Visited Lachin City Before Leaving Karabakh
Participants of the 2nd Shusha Global Media Forum, as part of the cultural programme of the forum, visited the city of Lachin and visited the creative studio ‘HochazFilm’. In the studio, which is one of the steps taken to turn the region into a cinema plateau, the participants were informed about the city of Lachin and appreciated the physical and technical possibilities of the studio. The participants of the forum, who received detailed information about the region from a view overlooking the city of Lachin, in their statements to the television channels following the Forum, stated that the 2nd Shusha Global Media Forum was successfully completed and the transformation in the city of Karabakh was very impressive.
The 2nd Global Media Forum of Shusha which took place with the participation of news agencies from 30 countries, 3 international organisations and 82 media companies from 30 countries gathered nearly 150 participants from 50 countries.
