The meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian journalists was held in Moscow at initiative of the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Russia.
Elnur Baimov, head of the News.Az agency, told 1news.az that the Armenian side was represented by the leaders of a news agency, two TV channels and a newspaper, while Azerbaijani part – by leaders of news agencies and newspaper.
According to Baimov, the Armenian side was represented mostly by pro-governmental mass media, while Azerbaijan comprised the whole political palette. The meeting was very constructive and no one voiced mutual claims. The main topic of the meeting was how to get rid of the image of an enemy and negativism in mass media.
Baimov said the sides agreed to avoid such negative moments and hold monitoring over appearance of any insulting statements in the materials.
Insulting materials are published both in the Azerbaijani and Armenian press. “I consider it inadmissible to insult the whole people even if they represent a hostile state. Especially, it is unacceptable towards the women of other nations”, said he.
The meeting involved heads of the leading Russian mass media: Komsolmolskaya Pravda, Ogonyok, Kommersant, Trud, ITAR-TASS, Russia today TV channel and so on.
The sides agreed to hold the next expanded meeting of the journalists within the framework of people’s diplomacy.
In particular, Azerbaijani journalists will visit Yerevan and vise versa. Then in mid 2010 a large group of Azerbaijani and Armenian journalists may visit Khankendi. It is very important considering that Azerbaijan will declare readiness to provide a temporary status to Nagorno Karabakh. In this case, we should be ready for a dialogue with people that reside there. The journalists’ meetings are a very important element of people’s diplomacy as mass media form the public opinion, Baimov has said.
He also said Azerbaijan’s ambassador Polad Bulbuloghlu and the Armenian ambassador played a steering role. Each of them promoted the journalists’ arrival from their countries. Russia’s former minister of culture Shvidko, who represents Russia’s president on international culture cooperation were also organizers.