POLITICS
Armenian provocation prevented during conference in Tbilisi
Tbilisi, May 12, AZERTAC
The 14th annual South Caucasus media conference on 'Fake news, disinformation and freedom of the media' organized by the office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, was held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
The Armenian delegation at the event tried to foil the speech of the Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev, who said:
“The theme of the event was 'Fake News, disinformation and freedom of the media.' Speaking about this topic, I spoke about Azerbaijan's experience in the fight against fake news. In particular, I spoke about the propaganda and disinformation campaign conducted by the Armenian side in the framework of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this context, I noted the role of Armenia and the Armenian lobby, as well as the disinformation campaigns being conducted against Azerbaijan during international events. In my speech, I also brought to the attention of the participants of the event, the measures being taken in Azerbaijan to combat disinformation.
Unfortunately, representatives of the Armenian delegation in an aggressive, unethical and rude form, tried to prevent my speech. Despite this, we continued our speech to the end, after which we answered the questions of the participants of the event”.
At the event, Azerbaijan was represented by Kamran Hasanov, Senior adviser, Public and Political Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hakiyev, Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Azer Hasret, head of the Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network, Ayaz Mirzayev, chairman of Azerbaijani Journalists Network.
The annual conference serves as a forum to discuss contemporary challenges to freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, in the OSCE region in general and in South Caucasus in particular.