Official dismisses allegations on closure of state papers
A senior official has dismissed allegations about
the expected closure of official newspapers in Azerbaijan.
``I have not made a statement that state-run newspapers will stop their activity soon during my meeting with Bengt Braun [a board member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers],`` said Ali Hasanov, the head of the Presidential Administration socio-political department.
Braun claimed at a news conference on the outcomes of his visit to Baku on Thursday that Hasanov had allegedly made this statement.
According to Hasanov, the Association executive enquired during their discussions about the reasons state-run newspapers continue operating in Azerbaijan. The presidential administration official replied that the country`s media is currently divided into different political wings, and independent and opposition media do not cover official news, government decisions and reports about national laws.
``I noted that official newspapers are publishing the decisions passed and the work done by the government, as well as draft laws,`` Hasanov said. ``I also expressed hope that, if the concept of politicized media is done away with in Azerbaijan in the coming years, there might be no need for official papers any more, because independent media, unlike opposition media, will treat the efforts made by the state and its decisions as news and cover them.``
In his statement, Bengt Braun said: ``Ali Hasanov told me that major changes are in store for the Azerbaijani media in the next three years. Defamation will be decriminalized, the activity of state-owned print media gradually halted and the advertising market expanded.``
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), based in Paris and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organization of the world`s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 websites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organization was established by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organization for the news publishing industry.
``I have not made a statement that state-run newspapers will stop their activity soon during my meeting with Bengt Braun [a board member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers],`` said Ali Hasanov, the head of the Presidential Administration socio-political department.
Braun claimed at a news conference on the outcomes of his visit to Baku on Thursday that Hasanov had allegedly made this statement.
According to Hasanov, the Association executive enquired during their discussions about the reasons state-run newspapers continue operating in Azerbaijan. The presidential administration official replied that the country`s media is currently divided into different political wings, and independent and opposition media do not cover official news, government decisions and reports about national laws.
``I noted that official newspapers are publishing the decisions passed and the work done by the government, as well as draft laws,`` Hasanov said. ``I also expressed hope that, if the concept of politicized media is done away with in Azerbaijan in the coming years, there might be no need for official papers any more, because independent media, unlike opposition media, will treat the efforts made by the state and its decisions as news and cover them.``
In his statement, Bengt Braun said: ``Ali Hasanov told me that major changes are in store for the Azerbaijani media in the next three years. Defamation will be decriminalized, the activity of state-owned print media gradually halted and the advertising market expanded.``
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), based in Paris and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organization of the world`s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 websites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organization was established by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organization for the news publishing industry.
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