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â€œJournalistsâ€™ friendâ€ award presented to Azerbaijani president - PHOTOSESSION

â€œJournalistsâ€™ friendâ€ award presented to Azerbaijani president - <font color=red>PHOTOSESSION</font>

29 December 2010 19:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov â€“ APA. Today a ceremony of presenting â€œJournalistsâ€™ friendsâ€ award, founded by Azerbaijani Committee for protection of the Journalists â€œRUHâ€, to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev was held at the Gulistan Palace of Baku, APA reports.
President Ilham Aliyev, his spouse Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, the representatives of state and government entities as well as the representatives of the public attended the ceremony.
The chairman of Press Council Aflatun Amashov presented the award to Azerbaijani president.
Delivering a speech at the event, the President Ilham Aliyev said that it is a honor for him to be a friend of journalists: "I appreciate journalistsâ€™ hard work as well as Press Council positive activity.
The journalists have everyday and housing problems. Construction of housing-related decree that I issued this year is the first step towards improvement of social conditions of journalists.
This step will be continued. In the distribution of the apartments the equitable should be protected and discrimination is inadmissible.
I will do my utmost for development of journalism in Azerbaijan".
The president said that there is an independent media in Azerbaijan, and the basic changes in this area started in 1998, when Heydar Aliyev cancelled the censorship:
"I support the fair criticism. The libel and insult is inadmissible. Fortunately, such cases gradually decrease.
At the end, the State Fund for Support of Mass Media under the President of Azerbaijan announced the winners of the competition and awarded them.
The head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev presented awards to journalists.
Besides it, â€œAzercellâ€ company presented the gifts to some heads of media agencies.
Of note, on December 1 â€“ 20, "RUH" the Azerbaijani Committee for Protection of the Journalists conducted the survey among the mass media and journalists organizations for the purpose of determination of â€œJournalistsâ€™ friendâ€ award winner in 2010.
30 daily newspapers, 19 weekly newspapers, 2 magazines, 11 news agencies, 13 journalist organizations, 8 information portals, 7 TV and 3 radio channels, altogether 93 media took part in the survey.
In accordance with the provision of the award, daily newspapers, 2 TV channels and information agencies, and other mass media and journalist organizations got 1 questionary sheet.
Respondents needed to answer a question: "According to the results of 2010, which social-political figure, official do you consider journalistsâ€™ friend?"
81 percent of the respondents considered Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to be the most worthy candidate for â€œJournalistsâ€™ friendâ€ award.
According to the provision of the award, the persons, who have the distinctive services for development of media field, may be the laureate.
"RUH" ACPJâ€™s main purpose in establishment of "Journalistsâ€™ friend" award is to develop the principles of freedom of speech and information in the society, to promote in the strengthening of relations between media and government agencies, private organizations, public associations and political parties, and stimulate the traditions of care for mass media.
The award, established in 1997, last time was presented to Heydar Aliyev in 2002.