BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 19. The Azerbaijan
Press Council has expressed concern over biased reports, distorted
materials, and campaigns aimed at manipulating public opinion about
Azerbaijan in some Turkish media outlets and on social media.
The concerns were outlined in a statement issued by the council regarding what it
described as a biased campaign against Azerbaijan in Turkish
media.
The council called on media organizations to verify information
about Azerbaijan using reliable sources before publication, correct
inaccurate reports, and take a firm stance against manipulative
campaigns that could harm relations between the two countries.
According to the statement, the presentation of individual
incidents in Azerbaijan out of context, the deliberate
politicization of discussions about the country's domestic affairs,
and the dissemination of unverified claims as facts in recent days
run counter to the fundamental principles of professional
journalism.
The statement emphasized that journalism's primary
responsibility is not to turn societies against one another, but to
establish the truth, provide the public with accurate information,
and contribute to mutual understanding.
The council said that some Turkish media outlets had taken a
decision to introduce a standardized school uniform in Azerbaijan's
general education institutions out of context and distorted its
meaning. It also said that unfounded claims were being circulated
that Azerbaijan had introduced a “hijab ban” and was suppressing
Islamic values.
According to the statement, a matter relating exclusively to
domestic education regulations was being artificially turned into a
religious and ideological confrontation, in an attempt to create a
negative image of Azerbaijan.
The Press Council said that distorting issues related to
religious freedom, education policy, and the country's social and
cultural life, using outdated or fake photos and videos unrelated
to the subject, and presenting the radical views of individual
fringe figures as the position of Turkish society as a whole serve
to mislead public opinion.
It said this approach was inconsistent with the principles of
objective journalism and the spirit of the strategic relationship
between the two countries.
Another source of concern, the statement noted, was that the
campaign was not limited to social media, as similar materials had
also appeared in some traditional Turkish media outlets.
The council said it considered it unacceptable to cross the
boundaries of criticism and freedom of expression, as well as to
provide a platform on social media for dangerous calls aimed at
forcibly changing Azerbaijan's constitutional order or seizing
power through illegal means.
The statement highlighted that relations between Azerbaijan and
Türkiye are based on shared history, language, culture, spiritual
values, and mutual trust. The council said the principle of “One
nation, two states” reflects the equal partnership and brotherhood
of the two countries as independent states.
It added that this principle must not be used to interfere in
either country's domestic or foreign policy, push society toward
ideological confrontation, or make unfounded accusations.
The Azerbaijan Press Council called on Turkish media
organizations, journalist associations, editorial offices, and
individuals who influence public opinion on digital platforms to
verify information about Azerbaijan before publishing it.
The council urged them to refrain from distorting facts,
circulating fabricated or decontextualized images, and using
insulting, defamatory, or hateful rhetoric directed at the
Azerbaijani state and people. It also called for inaccurate
information to be corrected and retracted promptly.
The statement further stressed the importance of taking a firm
stance against manipulative campaigns that could damage relations
between the two countries.
The Azerbaijan Press Council said it would continue to maintain
a principled position against the distortion of truth, the spread
of disinformation, and the use of media platforms to undermine
trust between countries.
