BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28.
The Baku Network Research and Analysis Public Union held a meeting
with students at the Azerbaijan University of Culture and Arts
under the project "Supporting increased vigilance against harmful
foreign influences and fake news," supported by the State Support
Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of Azerbaijan.
Sadagat Aliyeva, the university’s Vice-Rector for Scientific and
Creative Affairs, opened the event and shared her thoughts on the
significance of the meeting.
In his remarks, Deputy Director of the Trend News Agency, Sahil
Karimli, said that the primary objective of the meeting is to
enhance vigilance and alertness in countering harmful external
influences. According to him, Azerbaijan is also subject to various
ideological influences, biased stances, and "fake news."
Karimli noted that one of the main goals of such campaigns is to
disrupt national solidarity within society and weaken the unity
established in the country, thereby achieving specific political
objectives. He emphasized that all segments of society, especially
the youth, must be informed about these processes and possess the
ability to critically evaluate the information being spread.
"The unity and solidarity present within Azerbaijani society,
along with the immunity developed against external ideological
influences, prevent these circles from achieving their goals,"
Karimli stated. He recalled that during the early years of
Azerbaijan's independence, a period marked by Armenia’s policy of
occupation and the violation of the country’s territorial
integrity, Azerbaijan also faced harmful external influences.
According to Karimli, even during the 44-day Second Karabakh War,
as Azerbaijan sought to restore its territorial integrity and
sovereignty through its own strength, a biased and hostile stance
was observed from certain foreign circles.
He noted that, during that period, the unity and national
solidarity of the Azerbaijani people played a crucial role in
thwarting such attempts. Stating that the state’s resolute policy
was also effective in this regard, S. Karimli emphasized that
Azerbaijan did not retreat in the face of such pressures; rather,
as President Ilham Aliyev has noted, it pursued an "offensive
diplomacy."
Karimli added that because Azerbaijan pursues an independent and
decisive policy based on its national interests, it is expected
that harmful influences directed at the country will continue. In
his view, while these attempts target all segments of society,
particular attention is focused on the youth. It was noted that
these influences are aimed at weakening the institution of the
family, eroding national and moral values, and causing
degradation.
Elchin Alioghlu, Chairman of the "Baku Network" Research and
Analysis Public Union and an Honored Journalist, drew attention in
his remarks to the use of artificial intelligence technologies in
the creation and dissemination of fake news.
He stated that artificial intelligence is being used to generate
false information, which is then spread across various platforms
and employed against Azerbaijan. According to Alioghlu, online
media resources, funded and controlled by foreign entities, as well
as social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and
Instagram, are being utilized to disseminate such content.
Alioghlu further noted that, following the recent adoption of a
standardized school uniform policy, smear campaigns have been
launched against Azerbaijan regarding the issue of head coverings,
with attempts being made to politicize the subject.
He noted that harmful influences directed against Azerbaijan are
not limited to Western circles or various international centers
that harbor ill will toward the country; such influences have also
been observed originating from certain neighboring states in the
region. Alioghlu alleged that Iran has maintained a hostile stance
toward Azerbaijan ever since the early years of the latter's
independence.
According to him, while Azerbaijan’s good faith and efforts to
preserve neighborly relations have occasionally helped to reduce
tensions, certain circles within Iran have persisted in conducting
campaigns against Azerbaijan, interfering in its internal affairs,
and attempting to influence developments within the country.
Nevertheless, Alioghlu emphasized that there is a strong sense
of solidarity within Azerbaijani society, with the public standing
united against such attempts. He noted that efforts by various
circles, think tanks, and groups in this regard have been
successfully thwarted thus far, and will continue to be thwarted in
the future.
The event highlighted the nature of harmful external influences
and fake news, the methods by which they are spread, and the
importance of young people acting with greater caution and
responsibility within the information environment.
