Media

Media

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan congratulates Azerbaijani journalists

01 May 2009 14:07 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne E. Derse congratulated Azerbaijani journalists on the occasion of May 3 - World Press Freedom Day, US Embassy Public Relations Department told APA. The ambassador noted that Azerbaijan was a nation in transition: â€œA free and independent press was not a hallmark of the Soviet Union, and it is taking time to strengthen core democratic institutions in this, as in other, newly independent republics. As the U.S. Government has often stated and chronicled in our annual Human Rights Report, media freedom has long been an area of priority concern in Azerbaijan, as in many other countries of the former Soviet Union. The situation, however, is not static. There has been change. And there has been change for the better. But more is needed. Nothing would do more to strengthen Azerbaijan’s progress towards democracy than a vibrant, independent press. I recognize that this is not a process that takes place overnight, but it is a process that needs to move forward for the good of Azerbaijan’s democracy and independent future. On this May 3, I congratulate Azerbaijanâ€™s journalists on their courageous and important work. I wish the new generation of journalists, in particular, the greatest success in supporting Azerbaijanâ€™s development as a strong democracyâ€.