Azerbaijan, Baku, July 11 / Trend E. Mehdiyev /
Creating conditions for free activity of media to ensure the political pluralism in Azerbaijan is one of main directions of the state policy, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his letter of appeal to participants of the sixth Congress of Azerbaijani Journalists on July 11.
Head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's Social and Political Department Ali Hasanov read out the president's message.
President Aliyev congratulated the participants on the opening of the congress.
"As a result of successive reforms in the country after 1993, all artificial barriers that restricted freedom of expression and information were eliminated, and the legislation, governing the media activities, was brought in line with international standards," he said. "The logistics base of the national press was strengthened."
"The Press Council, established at the first Congress of Azerbaijani Journalists as the press self-regulation body, has played an important role in the regulation of relations between the media and the state, as well as the media and the public in accordance with the modern international experience," the message says.
"The Press Council's activity as a whole has also served to develop the Azerbaijani journalism, improve the professionalism of journalists and prevent the abuse of freedom of expression and information," the president added.
"Today, the country's increased capabilities have created the conditions for taking the comprehensive measures to develop media," he added. "The Azerbaijani government holds successive measures to strengthen the logistics base of editorial offices, to ensure the social protection of journalists and other directions. The primary goal of the public support for the media is to form independent, professional, competitive media resources strictly adhering to the principles of national consciousness and patriotism. The Azerbaijani press must always protect the Azerbaijani people's interests, sparing no effort to contribute to the progress of the society, strengthening of the country's authority in the modern world where the global information space's impact on the international public opinion is strengthened. I am sure that the decisions to be taken at the Congress will create the conditions for the Azerbaijani journalism to continue its mission within the country and abroad at a higher level and will have a positive impact on the development of national press."