Azerbaijani Press On Path Of Sustainable Development

(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Mazahir Afandiyev

Today, as the world is transforming due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, nations-particularly those that have participated in developed and global projects-are the primary focus of the nascent new order. They seek to establish their position and fulfill their interests in every way. As a South Caucasian locomotive, Azerbaijan is clearly aware of its responsibility and continually creating and demonstrating a well-thought-out, multi-vector foreign strategy.

Naturally, successful socioeconomic initiatives, including media reforms that satisfy the demands of the contemporary day and programs covering every field in the country, are the foundation of sustainable development.

It should be mentioned that one of the primary objectives is the continual development of journalistic activities by better understanding the contemporary issues of the modern era, as well as the improvement of media institutions' operations in recent years. The government of Azerbaijan is already seeing results from the continuous actions it has made in the context of press and media policy.

In general, President Ilham Aliyev has always taken significant steps to guarantee freedom of expression, opinion, and the press; to foster an environment that is conducive to the growth and operation of mass media; and to guarantee the advancement of democracy.

As is well known, on January 07, 2025, the head of state met with representatives of local television networks, spoke with them about the socioeconomic outcomes of 2024, the tasks that Azerbaijan and each of us in the country will face in 2025, new challenges, and events that are happening both domestically and internationally, and also shared opinions with journalists.

The about three-hour-long meeting is once again considered a gathering to strengthen ties between the state and the fourth power and to promote the advancement of professionalism in Azerbaijani journalism.

These interviews, which are now traditional, are extremely beneficial and essential to the nation's civilization. By responding to inquiries spanning a range of domestic and international policy topics, the head of state provides his evaluation on the year's work.

There are various ways to interpret the President's responses to the questions posed in a comprehensive interview style.

First and foremost, the nation's citizens hear from the President directly about his course of action for accomplishing the objectives.

Based on this in-depth interview, the government and its pertinent bodies can quickly provide the President with the recommendations they need to carry out the work on resolving the most pressing concerns.

Additionally helpful is the fact that the President's speech can be quoted to avoid topics that could spark press debate and to ensure that the ideas stated by various think tanks with varying societal viewpoints are more accurate and comprehensive.

In particular, I believe that the head of state's remarks about the economic and social accomplishments, as well as the fact that more than 7 billion manats have been spent on four social packages in recent years, made it evident to all of our citizens that consistent efforts have been made to ensure the welfare of all Azerbaijanis.

Giving a clear picture of Azerbaijan's interests and objectives for international organizations and world nations is one of the interview's primary objectives.

Azerbaijan's increasing power in the international arena is demonstrated by Azerbaijan's successful hosting of COP29 last year and subsequent admission to D-8, the largest organization bringing Muslim nations together, in December. Some circles perceive the opportunity to worsen the situation in the area by ignoring our accomplishments and failing in preventing us from achieving our goals. As President Ilham Aliyev noted during the interview, "The ongoing armament of Armenia is, of course, a new threat factor for the South Caucasus.”

Even so, the current procedures indicate that the Republic of Azerbaijan, which has completely established its constitutional sovereignty, and the grateful Azerbaijani people will once again be proud, and that the South Caucasus will experience lasting peace, tranquility, and security during the "Year of Constitution and Sovereignty" announced by President Ilham Aliyev.

We believe the local television networks, the mass media, periodicals, and the Azerbaijani media in general will do everything in their power to further Azerbaijan's objectives and will keep up their diligent work in the area of objective and professional informing of our society.

Mazahir Afandiyev, the author is a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament

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