Presidential Administration: Azerbaijan will do its best to achieve international media standards

It is natural that there are barriers to the development of the media in such countries as Azerbaijan. But Azerbaijan, being the CE member, is doing its utmost to achieve the international standards and norms, Head of the Presidential Administration Socio-Political Department  on Work with Press, Vugar Aliyev said.

He said abolition of censorship and support from the government play major role.

"Freedom of speech in Azerbaijan is regulated by the Press Council. In 2009, the President approved the State Support for Media Development Fund," he said

The role of media in a democratic society is discussed at an international conference with participation of local and international experts in this field in Baku on Friday. The conference is organized by the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic.

Chairman of the conference, judge of the Constitutional Court of Belgium, Jean-Paul Moerman, delivered opening remarks by stressing the importance of freedom of speech in a democratic society.

Azerbaijan's membership in the Council of Europe is based on the acceptance and observance of all obligations, including open access to information, the Azerbaijani Press Council chairman Aflatun Amashov said stressing the liberal views of Azerbaijani legislation in the field of media.

Amashov expressed his hope that one can expect the Azerbaijani Parliament to approve the defamation law by late 2010. It will form the basis for an annulment of the articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, on which the cases against media representatives are often filed.

The adoption of this law will allow Azerbaijan to fulfill certain obligations to ensure freedom of speech taken by the country to the Council of Europe.

Democracy must provide people with a variety of political parties, media and other associations, as well as the diversity of opinions and views, the first vice-president of the Association "Cavarocchi Ruscio Dennis" in the United States, Mark Vieth, said.

The director of Belgium's French canal Roger Gerard, and Spanish Senator Manuel Altava Laval briefed on freedom of speech and a model of media development in Belgium and Spain.


/Trend News/