Azerbaijan, Baku, December 15 / Trend , M.Aliyev/
Azerbaijani Trend Agency addressed a protest letter to the management of Euronews TV with regards to the televised report "Change of Winds in Nagorno-Karabakh" that was recently broadcasted by Euronews.
The letter says that the televised report "Change of Winds in Nagorno-Karabakh" broadcasted by Euronews on Nov. 28 deeply disappointed anyone familiar with this conflict and region.
The discussion of Nagorno-Karabakh, which international organizations and foreign countries recognize as Azerbaijani land, as an "independent state" city can only be explained by the double standards of the Euronews management or simply outright illiteracy.
The protest letter reminded everyone with poor geographic and historical knowledge of the South Caucasus that the Armenians' settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is the historical land of Azerbaijan, occurred in the 19th century.
"20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region, has been occupied by Armenia since 1990 thanks to armed aggression. Over 1 million Azerbaijani citizens have been driven out of their native lands. A policy of ethnic cleansing policy was conducted in the region, and historical and cultural monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis were terminated or made Armenian. Armenia has not yet fulfilled four U.N. Security Council sanctions urging the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven districts of Azerbaijan. The fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan and the occupation of Azerbaijani territory have been reflected in the documents of many international organizations, as well as in the statements of most heads of state and top officials," the letter says.
The letter says that the biased report made by Euronews employees, who visited Nagorno-Karabakh with the help of the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) and broadcast the program as a multi-part series, shows how susceptible the channel is to the Armenian lobby.
In this report Staff Director of the Academic Council of the Catholic University of Leuven Prof. Dr. Bernard Coulie said Nagorno-Karabakh is an attractive and unique region belonging to the Armenians and called it the soul of Armenia. Furthermore, Nagorno-Karabakh was introduced as "an independent state" and separatist leader Bako Saakyan as the "president" of the puppet nation.
"Euronews' decision to screen this report without checking their sources - despite their more than 200-million audience - at least must be considered as non-professionalism and indifference," the letter says.
"Such primitive mistakes make us suspicious about the professionalism of European journalists, particularly when we are told to study their secrets of the craft. Any channel interested in preparing a report on this issue would have to hold consultations with Azerbaijan to remain objective. Unfortunately, we witness a completely opposite position. This report caused serious discord among the Azerbaijani public, government, NGOs, and local media. Public opinion is largely shaped by the media, and Euronews failed to observe their usual standards by preparing and broadcasting an unprofessional, one-sided product. We believe that Euronews senior management will not allow such serious political mistakes to occur in the future, will correct this mistake by showing a loyalty for professional journalism, take the needed measures to highlight the historical truth, and inform its audience about the Azerbaijani public's position on this matter," the letter says.
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