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Azerbaijani Press Council addresses local journalists over first-ever European Games

11 June 2015 11:00 (UTC +04:00)

The addressing says as follows:

“Our homeland, Azerbaijan, will open a new page in its glorious history tomorrow. The first European Games will begin in Baku tomorrow.

The first-ever European Games are an extremely important event for our people and state. Sharing such moments is not just an expression of our joy but an essential patriotic mission of ours. Apart from the responsibility of a professional approach to our duty, our patriotism too is of the factors that make this mission so important. The unpleasant anti-Azerbaijan campaign underway in connection with the first-ever European Games is actually a kind of total information war on our country. The message which the Toronto-based network International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) has sent to journalist institutions and human rights organizations also helps us conclude our opinion. The message calls for joining a Twitter campaign against the holding of the first-ever European Games in Azerbaijan. The campaign will be launched on June 12 at 15:00 (local time) on the official Twitter page of the European Games under the hashtag #Baku2015. We believe that Azerbaijani journalists will be active in spreading truth about the country under this hashtag and won’t allow the International Freedom of Expression Exchange network to achieve its “goal”.

Such campaigns against the First European Games have been conducted thus far. It is not excluded that such cases will bear continuous character. The international NGOs, unaware of the real intention of organizations such as the International Freedom of Expression Exchange network, are possible to play a role in the formation of negative public opinion about our country. Therefore, we urge you to be careful during the prestigious sporting event, demonstrate the sensitivity, and take a more active part in the process of bringing to the world community the truth about Azerbaijan”.