Azerbaijan's victory in 2020, which ended the 30-year occupation of Armenia, started a new era of renaissance in Garabagh and the South Caucasus. The old traditions inherited from the Soviet Union had remained unchanged during the long conflict. The greatest victory of Azerbaijan also laid the foundation for the beginning of a new era with new traditions.
Certainly, when the topic of Garabagh comes up, Shusha first comes to mind. This beautiful city is which was freed from the Armenian invaders with great heroism, and she has become the cradle of our culture and international events in the last 4 years. When it comes to Global Forums and International Conferences, there is no need to mention Brussels, Strasbourg or the UN Headquarters first. Shusha has already become one of the most famous centres among those venues.
The second Global Media Forum on the theme "Unmasking False Narratives: Confronting Disinformation" once again brought together media representatives from 50 countries in Shusha. The opening of the event continued with the speech of President Ilham Aliyev, as well as answering the questions of the participants. The opening of the event lasted over two hours in the format of questions and answers shed some light on many global issues.
It should be noted that President Ilham Aliyev's answer to journalists' questions was also a global message. While addressing the event, the Azerbaijani President stated that historical transformation and geopolitical changes have taken place in the South Caucasus in the last four years.
After the Soviet Union, the weakening of traditional alliances led to a kind of disconnection between the countries. In such a case, it became necessary to develop new cooperation formats. The inadequate approach of the global powers to the former Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and the observation of the non-objective approach in choosing the side already created a special basis for strengthening the unity of the Turkic states. Today, the fact that Azerbaijan is part of the organisation of the Turkic-speaking states increases its prestige and adds strength to its political will.
In September last year, Azerbaijan, which regained its territorial integrity and full sovereignty, went down in history with the most important event. Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev's celebration of the victory parade in Khankindi also meant the rooting out of separatism that lasted for more than a century.
"I had to put aside all my personal emotions for the sake of peace and the liberation of our territories," President Ilham Aliyev emphasized in his address at the forum.
We remember that at that time, the role of the foreign press, along with the Western political circles and international institutions, was strong in applying pressures against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, which was subjected to a boycott campaign in the eyes of the world community, had to show patience and resistance against all these injustices. This statement of President Ilham Aliyev expresses the restraint of the head of state in the face of unjust accusations against the statehood of Azerbaijan in those times. On the eve of the outbreak of lies and disinformation, it was extremely important to create a mechanism to fight against it, as well as to strengthen the Azerbaijani media.
Unity between the state and the people played an important role in all processes during the Patriotic War and after that. Because, as the head of state emphasized, the liberation of land was a matter of dignity.
If we look at the most recent history, we can say that Azerbaijan has been a victim of manipulation of facts and false narratives for many years, from the 1980s until today. Distortion of Garabagh facts and covering up of Armenian crimes was a hateful policy directed against Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev noted that the mobilization of the Armenian diaspora, pro-Armenian politicians and media representatives attacked Azerbaijan, spread false narratives, and presented Azerbaijan in a way far from reality. Indeed, after the Patriotic War, we witnessed this again. However, as the head of state noted, it has become common to face such situations frequently.
"Incomplete, inaccurate and manipulated reports originate from the West. It becomes our daily life. We were surprised and disappointed, but now we are indifferent," the President said.
Today, Azerbaijan wants to objectively cover the events happening both within the country and in the region. For this, there is a need for an active role of the media subject who can reflect the spirit of impartial and objective approach.
The influential people in the Western political circles, who once accused Azerbaijan, are beginning to change their vectors over time, and when we observe, we see that Azerbaijan is now treated as an equal partner.
Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the holding of COP29
The strengthening position of Azerbaijan on a global scale already allows it to host many prestigious international events. The balanced policy pursued by Azerbaijan and the proportionality of its relations with the states close to the region allowed solving the vast majority of both political and economic problems. As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized today, Azerbaijan has focused all its attention on problems related to the country's national interests. Whether it is the Parliament of the European Union or the Council of Europe, in a word, gossips against Azerbaijan are out of interest.
At present, the staff assigned to the COP are working hard on many fruitful tasks. The priorities in the agenda is a diary that is completely clear and focused on goals, objectives and results.
During his speech, President Ilham Aliyev also expressed his opinion on those who do not want COP29 to be held in the country. He emphasized that this event is extremely important for Azerbaijan and added that since the COP is one of the most important events on a global scale, its holding for the first time in the post-Soviet space will enter Azerbaijan into the highest league. In addition, the head of state emphasized that he wants the COP29 to be held in Azerbaijan to be a solidarity event.
Thus, Azerbaijan, preparing for an international event, gave many important messages to the world from the platform of the second Global Media Forum held in Shusha. The parties, which have already fully armed themselves against Azerbaijan, clearly understand today that it is futile to confront a state like Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. Even a strong country like the USA, unlike France, prefers to be extremely careful in its relations with Azerbaijan. This, of course, is an indicator of the professional approach of a diplomat or a head of state or government who has an understanding of policy.
Recall that the 2nd Shusha Global Media Forum, organized on the occasion of the 149th anniversary of Azerbaijan's national press, was attended by more than 150 foreign guests from 50 countries, including information agencies of 30 countries, 3 international organizations, and 82 media subjects. Among the participants of the Global Media Forum are representatives of foreign media, as well as media representatives, experts, and officials of Azerbaijan.
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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1
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