Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – Armenia is losing the "information war" to Azerbaijan, Armenian journalists told a news conference in Yerevan after attending an international media event in Iran.

During the media exhibition, held from October 25 to November 1, reporters of Armenia’s Azg newspaper and Panarmenian news agency attempted to place a separate stand devoted to Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation where ethnic Armenians are running a self-proclaimed republic. However, Azerbaijani journalists prevented them from proceeding. During the row that ensued, the Azerbaijanis were supported by their Turkish counterparts.

The Armenian journalists hit out at the Armenian media for failing to respond to the incident. Azg newspaper employee Asmik Arutyunyan said that none of the Armenian media outlets had reacted to the row, which was unacceptable.

"But Azerbaijanis and Turks kept this issue in focus all the time. And the most ridiculous part is that Armenian newspapers were covering news about the exhibition with reference to Azerbaijani media."

Panarmenian editor-in-chief Marina Ananikyan, said that unlike Armenians, Azerbaijanis "strive shoulder to shoulder" for the protection of their country’s statehood. "As for us, everyone looks out for themselves. So, we are now losing the information war to the Azerbaijanis."

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in May 1994, but over a decade of efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been fruitless so far, and Armenia frequently violates ceasefire.