Nushiravan Maharramli, the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Council of National Television and Radio Broadcasting informed Trend that discussions over Azerbaijan joining the European Convention on Unlimited Televisions have been set up.
He also informed on participation in the international conference in Ankara at the initiative of Council of Europe Media Department and the Turkish Committee on Radio and Television Broadcasting. He said that the key objective of the international conference on joining the European Convention on Unlimited Television was to discuss major provisions of the document, launch preparations for Azerbaijan joining to the Convention. With this respect we try to use the European and Turkish experience. We mulled the possible requirements and obligations that could appear while joining the Convention, as well as the contradictions with the Azerbaijani legislation. The exiting legislation specifies that the international conventions are above the laws of Azerbaijan. We reached an agreement to hold a next event in Baku in the first half of 2007, Mr. Maharramli said.
Representatives of the CE Media Department addressed the forum. The meetings revealed that there was not serious differences and contradiction between the European Convention on Unlimited Television and Azerbaijani Law on Radio and Television Broadcasting. Nevertheless, the CE undertook organizational work on conduct of an event in Baku in 2007.
The Azerbaijan delegation at the conference included Ali Hasanov, Head of President Executive Apparat Public and Political Department. Mr. Maharramli also met with leadership of Turkey Anadolu Agency, TRT TV Channel, and Prime Minister Information and Broadcasting Department. The meetings focused on broadcasting of Turkey leading channels in Azerbaijan, issue of licenses for them and mutual cooperation. The Turkish side agreed upon our terms. We discussed exchange of information between Azerbaijan and Turkey and propaganda issues and took a resolution to support each other. Turkish representatives and heads of television channels appraised our resolution and asserted that the broadcasting of all foreign television channels should be carried out through satellite and cable, said the head of the Azerbaijan Council of National Television and Radio Broadcasting.