"ECHO": THERE IS NO PROBLEM ON CLOSING RUSSIAN SPEAKING MASS MEDIA IN AZERBAIJAN
B. Safarov,

DemAz.org
Jan 18 2008
Azerbaijan

Press conference on "Situation concerning Russian speaking mass media
in Azerbaijan" was held in international press center.

"Novosti-Azerbaijan" agency informed "Echo" about it. Chief executive
of the agency of international information "Novosti-Azerbaijan",
Gulnara Mamadzade, editor-in-chief of internet site, Elnur Baimov,
editor-in-chief of "Ayna-Zerkalo", Elchin Shikhli, chief executive
of "Trend" information agency, Ilgar Huseinov, etc. partook in the
conference. As Gulnara Mamadzade informed "Echo" for good reason
secretary of Union of Writers of Azerbaijan, people’s writer of
Azerbaijan, Chingiz Abdullayev, ruling members of Press Council of
Azerbaijan, chairman of Democratic league of journalists of Azerbaijan,
Yadigar Mamadli, head of Russian community of Azerbaijan, MM deputy,
Mikhail Zabelin, didn’t attended the event though their joining the
conference was made known earlier.

Accordingly to her, participants of press conference hold that it is
not right to politicize too much this issue as problems of closing
Russian speaking mass media in Azerbaijan don’t exist. "Such position
wasn’t made known officially. Just some mass media brought forward idea
which led to such public excitement entailing negative consequences
for Russian speaking circles in Azerbaijan and it was skillfully used
by our opponents outside Azerbaijan", she underlined.

At the same time Mamadzade added that participants of conference
urged mass media representatives to be cautious in such issues not
causing void problems.

"Strategy of "Trend" information agency is to enlarge the sphere
of the spread of its products in the world. We intend to publish
our information in 5-6 languages. Currently information of "Trend"
is spread in Russian, Azerbaijani and English languages", declared
Ilgar Huseinov in the course of his speech ("Novosti – Azerbaijan").

Accordingly to Huseinov interests of Azerbaijani state lay in the
spread of information about Azerbaijan in larger scale now. "In
this sense narrowing of the sphere of the use of Russian language
in mass media of the country contradicts to policy of Azerbaijan",
Huseinov holds.

Editor-in-chief of Day.az, Elnur Baimov, stressed that "state doesn’t
prohibit publishing newspapers and internet-resources in Russian
language. That is why address to leadership of state with request to
protect mass media in Russian language in Azerbaijan is not needed".

Baimov learnt that someone is going to impose prohibition on editions
in Russian language from newspaper article. When they applied to
this newspaper for explanation, authors didn’t confirm published
information. Baimov advised these editions to be more professional.

"Azerbaijan is a tolerant state. And if someone attempts to close
mass media in non-state language it can be presented by Armenians
of Garabagh as explanation of their reluctance to be citizens of
Azerbaijan. If such decision had been adopted it would have contradict
to Azerbaijani statehood", declared Baimov.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress