Joint Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MEDIA), and the Press Council of Azerbaijan

on removal of the names of some persons from the list of foreign citizens illegally visited the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan

on the occasion of July 22 – National Press and Journalism Day

This year marks the 148th Anniversary of the establishment of the national press in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Modern Azerbaijani press, which takes its origin from the “Akinchi” newspaper, which started to be published in Azerbaijani language on July 22, 1875 by prominent intellectual and publicist Hasan Bey Zardabi as the first example of our national press, is experiencing a period of its development in accordance with the achievements of our country in all areas.

Today, in Azerbaijan, which is confidently moving along the path of independence and comprehensively developing, freedom of expression and press, rights of journalists to collect information are ensured by country's Constitution and Law on Media, and a number of successful projects related to the development of this area are being implemented. Based on the principle of pluralism in the information space of Azerbaijan, all conditions are created for the activities of representatives of local and foreign media entities.

Supporting the activities of journalists based on the principles of neutrality and objectivity is one of the main priorities of our country. Fulfillment of this mission by media by methods that do not contradict the legislation is one of the most important factors.

National press has an undeniable role in conveying the truth of our country to the international audience on issues related to the foreign policy interests of our country, especially on the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, shaping the information space in the region and beyond, and ensuring national information security against the backdrop of external negative ideological influences.

To this end, the organization of visits of foreign journalists to Azerbaijan is one of the main areas of activity. Hundreds of journalists visited the region both during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia for almost 30 years and after the Patriotic War. At the same time, it is known that a number of foreign journalists made visits to our former occupied territories without the permission of the government of Azerbaijan, and in many cases such visits occurred as a result of ignorance by these persons.

As is known, in accordance with international experience, a person being a part of any trip resulting in gross violation of national and international legislation of Azerbaijan is included in the list of foreign citizens who illegally visited the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan as persona non grata in Azerbaijan. At the same time, dozens of people annually send official letters of apology to the government of Azerbaijan in order to remove their names from this list, and if the appeals are deemed appropriate, their names are removed from the list.

This year, within the framework of the “Year of Heydar Aliyev” and the 148th anniversary of the establishment of the national press in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan decided to remove from this list the names of 58 foreign media representatives who illegally visited the former occupied territories. Thus, the ban on entry to the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan of persons whose names are announced were lifted.

On the National Press and Journalism Day, we sincerely congratulate all media representatives working in this field and wish them new successes in this honorable work!

Information about some media representatives whose names were removed from the list of foreign citizens who illegally visited the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan can be obtained here.