AZERBAIJANI MP: THE WASHINGTON POST MANAGEMENT TAKES INDECENT POSITION

Today
64286.html
March 17 2010
Azerbaijan

This company and newspaper can not be taken as a model of decency
and legality, member of the Azerbaijani parliament, member of the
parliament’s security and defense committee and also member of the
ruling New Azerbaijan Party’s Political Council Aydin Mirzade said.

He was commenting on reports by the Turkish media that an investigation
has been launched in the U.S. into sources that fund Washington Post
Company which own media and non-media companies including Newsweek
and Foreign Policy magazines, The Washington Post newspaper and Cable
One cable television.

Turkish media reported that the investigation into financial sources
of Washington Post Company has been launched by the U.S. Department
of Education which has revealed a number of serious violations in the
company’s activities. It is noted that the American media, which is
usually quick to react to such events that occur in other countries,
for some reasons almost make no coverage of investigation into
financial sources of the Washington Post Company. It is also noted that
in recent years The Washington Post has published a series of articles
aimed against Head of the White House Administration Ram Emanuel.

Mirzazade said a number of western media often raise issues on which
they lack knowledge.

"For example, if you ask the authors of articles and editor of The
Washington Post, they are unlikely to be able to correctly pronounce
the word "Azerbaijan" and say where our country is located. The biased
article about Azerbaijan in this newspaper seems to be written under
some order. I would even say under a political order," the MP said.

He stressed that such articles play into hands of the Azerbaijani
opposition, which writes only about this on the eve of parliamentary
elections.

"First, such articles simply are full of distortions and inaccuracies.

Secondly, through such articles, the newspaper interferes with
country’s domestic politics and plays into hands of the Azerbaijani
opposition and tries to create a negative image of our country in
America," Mirzazade added.

"Of course, some people want to create a false impression and a
negative image for Azerbaijan at a time when Azerbaijan strengthens
its economy and plays a key role in ensuring energy security of
Europe. Apparently, someone really wants it and therefore these actions
lack decency and honesty. So, we should witness such kind of articles
in future, too," he stressed.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly passed this way both in the 1990s and in
2000, he said.

"Back then some European newspaper published articles on Azerbaijan.

But checks revealed that they were full of lies and disinformation. Of
course, they may well later announce that supposedly it was just
journalist’s point of view refuting what they have written. It would
be better for them to verify the information before they spread it."

"I think that The Washington Post management takes indecent position.

This will not contribute to strengthening of friendship between
Azerbaijan and the U.S. Azerbaijan has faced such political
provocations numerous times. I think no one in Azerbaijan and in
serious political circles in the West will believe in libel published
by such newspapers," Mirzazade said.

Turkish media says that the investigation launched against Washington
Post Company revealed that Kaplan educational institutions are key
source of financing of the company and it provides more than half
the company’s revenues that make up about 5 billion dollars a year.

Mirzazade noted that the Armenian may well pay for the defamatory
articles in the Western media.

"It has not been proven, but it quite possible. At a time when Armenia
seeks to justify itself before the world community for the seizure of
Azerbaijani territory and genocide it committed in Khojaly, as well as
in many localities in Azerbaijan and also justify its unconstructive
position it occupies in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, it
does not cost anything for certain circles of the Armenian Diaspora
to throw a few thousand dollars in the pocket of a journalist and
book a story. This is often done in the West, and even publishers of
such newspapers do not deny such facts," he added.