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Azerbaijan to establish Media and Broadcasting Council

16 June 2026 10:07 (UTC +04:00)

A Media and Broadcasting Council will be established on the basis of the Media Development Agency and the Audiovisual Council, APA reports.

This is reflected in the proposed amendments to the Law on Media discussed at today's meeting of the Human Rights Committee of the Milli Majlis.

The Media and Broadcasting Council will be the authorized state body in the field of media and broadcasting in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Thus, the powers of the Media Development Agency and the Audiovisual Council will be exercised by this body.

Şuranın sədri və üzvləri müvafiq icra hakimiyyəti orqanının müəyyən etdiyi orqan (qurum) tərəfindən vəzifəyə təyin və vəzifədən azad ediləcəklər. Şuranın üzvləri öz aralarından sadə səs çoxluğu ilə 2 (iki) sədr müavini seçəcəklər.

The Chairperson and members of the Council will be appointed to and dismissed from office by the body (institution) designated by the relevant executive authority. The members of the Council will elect 2 (two) deputy chairpersons from among themselves by a simple majority vote.

It was noted that in the modern era, there is a need to transition to a more flexible and collegial mechanism for the media sector in Azerbaijan in order to ensure national information security and the economic independence of the media. This mechanism, in turn, is necessitated by the blurring of the boundaries between print, online and audiovisual media, as well as the need for a unified approach to media, which is the main pillar of the information system.

In this regard, the establishment of a single body — the Media and Broadcasting Council, the inclusion of duties and obligations related to the Council in the Law on Media, and the adoption of a collegial governance model by the institution constitute an effective mechanism that guarantees media independence and enhances public trust in the institution.

The amendments proposed to the Law on Media will help ensure the security of the domestic information space and create conditions to further promote the development of local media.

Azerbaijan Media and Broadcasting Council Media Development Agency Audiovisual Council Milli Majlis Human Rights Committee Law on Media media regulation broadcasting sector legislative amendments media policy Azerbaijan parliament