Azernews.Az

Radio Liberty on Friday dismissed as inaccurate recent media reports quoting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as saying that there was no need for the media outlet in the country.
"The reports circulating that the Azerbaijani president ruled out the need for Radio Liberty contradict reality, and speculations that the radio would halt its operation have no merit," says a press-release of the radio's Baku bureau seen by AssA-Irada.
It says that local media keep on publishing baseless reports and views taken out of context with regard to Radio Liberty president Jeffrey Gedmin's recent visit to Azerbaijan and his meeting with the head of state.
Reiterating the statement issued by Gedmin for the press after the meeting, Radio Liberty said that during the discussions, he had expressed utter concern over the current situation with media in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev replied that there were no grounds for concern, saying hundreds of newspapers were published in the country and that the government was encouraging the use of the Internet and foreign broadcasts.
The press-release said further that during Gedmin's meetings with other senior officials in Baku, the parties stressed that there were no restrictions for the airing of the programs by the radio, whose activity complies with national legislation.
Gedmin also met with opposition leaders and heads of local non-governmental organizations during the four-day visit last week.