Istanbul, October 23, AZERTAC

“The importance of strengthening the unity in the Turkic world was repeatedly emphasized by national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev years ago. He said that the peoples of the modern Turkic world are going through a period of development and becoming one of the important factors in the new world. The accession of many sovereign Turkic republics to this process raises bright hopes for the future of the Turkic world. These hopes, which are already being realized, give reason for greater optimism of the future,” said Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) Aslan Aslanov as he addressed the panel session on “Building the Future as the Turkic World” held on the sidelines of the Turkic Council Media Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.

“Under the leadership of Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev, the Council operates in a very wide and diverse field. These multifaceted activities and projects serve the unity of Turkic-speaking countries, closer relations amongst our peoples and public institutions. As a recent example, I would like to mention the support of the Turkic Council and the very important statement made during Azerbaijan’s 44-day Patriotic War. This is a real manifestation of unity and solidarity among Turkic-speaking countries. We are states and peoples sharing a common history, a common culture, a common language and religion. These common values are very important reference points for defining our place and role in the globalized but in some cases polarized modern world order. As the Turkic world, our paths to the future intersect at this junction,” Aslan Aslanov mentioned.

“Today, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey are important states of the region, making an important contribution to global security. A realistic assessment of the potential of our states and peoples and the unification of these forces is of particular importance for our future. Unfortunately, we are witnessing hostility towards Turkey, Islamophobia and other injustices in the present-day world. If we respond to the expected and unexpected challenges of the time together, if we face the existing threats together, no force can stand in front of us. The moral and political support of Turkey and indeed the Turkic Council during Azerbaijan’s war for liberation in Karabakh is a clear confirmation of this,” the AZERTAC Chairman of Board emphasized.

Noting that the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood can serve as the best model for the future of the Turkic world, Aslan Aslanov said: “The Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood can serve as the best model for the future of the Turkic world. As I was reviewing the history before my visit to Istanbul, I remembered an incident that took place at the Eastern Partnership summit in Prague in April 2014. Turkey was not represented at the summit. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev interrupted someone who was trying to slander Turkey and said, “Turkey is not here, but I am”, and spoke about the realities of Turkey. Turkey, for its part, speaks up in the international political arena in the absence of Azerbaijan. I did not mention the incident in Prague of seven years ago by chance. I think this is an example for the future of the Turkic world we dream of and aspire to, as well as an example for us media representatives. Today, the relations between Turkic-speaking countries in the field of media are developing in the spirit of ever strengthening cooperation. Our meetings initiated by the Turkic Council, as well as this media forum, create fertile grounds for the exchange of information and experience.”

“Today, the relations between Turkic-speaking countries in the field of media are developing in the spirit of ever strengthening cooperation. Our meetings initiated by the Turkic Council, as well as this media forum, create fertile grounds for the exchange of information and experience. The current realities of the information environment make the issues of close cooperation between media organizations, flexible information exchange and mutual training increasingly relevant. We have witnessed what happened on the information front during the Patriotic War Azerbaijan waged to liberate the lands occupied by Armenia for 30 years: the spread of fake news, biased information that was far from reality, overt attempts to put pressure on Azerbaijan, etc. The Azerbaijani media emerged from this information war with a great deal of experience. I would like to emphasize that the support of brotherly Turkish media of Azerbaijan during the war played an irreplaceable role in preventing misinformation and conveying the truth to the world.

Our observations suggest that the media of Turkic-speaking countries must have strong resources to convey each other's true voice to the world when needed. This goal can be achieved, first of all, by mastering the world experience and flexibly applying new trends. The creation and development of media platforms is important in this regard,” Aslan Aslanov noted.

Emphasizing that AZERTAC has close bilateral relations with Kazinform of Kazakhstan, Kabar of Kyrgyzstan, UzA of Uzbekistan, the state agency of Turkmenistan and the Anadolu news agency of Turkey, Aslan Aslanov said: “At the same time, the Association of Turkic News Agencies (TKA), established in 1992, is one of the important platforms in this regard. Its revival and development is a topical issue for us today.

We plan to hold the General Assembly of TKA together with Anadolu Agency. We appreciate the importance that our partner agencies attach to this meeting. I once again thank my dear colleague, Serdar Karagoz, for his initiatives and efforts in this regard.

As we know, news agencies are the main source of accurate and verified news in any country. In the new information space full of fake and misinformation, the need for such news has increased many times. For this reason, there is a great demand for verified and accurate news. Our goal is to further activate and improve the activities of TKA, ensure its integration into the international information space, facilitate its cooperation with the News Agencies World Congress, the European Alliance of News Agencies, the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies and other media organizations. Initially, a new draft charter of the organization was prepared and sent to member agencies for discussion. In February this year, AZERTAC updated the organization's website as much as it could. Serious support from member agencies is needed to improve the site.”

Recalling that the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Media Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey was signed in December last year and approved by the Presidents of both countries, Aslan Aslanov said: “I think that there are all chances and opportunities to create such a platform of cooperation between other Turkic-speaking countries or to turn it into a more global structure.

In general, it is worth thinking about ways of applying the experience gained in the field of media cooperation to the format of the Turkic Council. Our colleagues in other Turkic-speaking countries probably have relevant ideas and proposals too. We can discuss them and find a common solution.

As a first step, I would suggest holding a conference with the participation of media structures of the Turkic Council member states in the near future, which will prepare a roadmap for the establishment of an all-Turkic media platform.”

AZERTAC Chairman of Board Aslan Aslanov said that leaders of the Turkic world have always seen a bright future for our peoples. “Our peoples, which have independent states, are confidently moving towards this bright future, and each step is becoming an important element of building this future. I am confident that this media forum, organized by the Turkic Council, will also usher new opportunities for closer cooperation between our media and we will be able to contribute to building this future,” he added.

Speakers at the session also included Chairman of the Board and Director General of Anadolu Agency Serdar Karagoz, Dean of the Journalism Faculty of Baku State University Vugar Aliyev, Coordinator of the Foreign Relations and Foreign News Department of the Turkish NTV television channel Ahmet Yesiltepe and others. They stressed the importance of creating an alternative but fair cultural, political and economic union against foreign pressure, violence and separatist attempts to build the future of the Turkic world.

The event was followed by a Q&A session.