Tue 09 February 2010 | 07:30 GMT Text size:

Sahar TV

Iran's Sahar TV has been broadcasting a video sequence linking the Azerbaijani president, Israeli officials and victims of Israel's shelling of Gaza.

Sahar's program "Compass" shows a map of Azerbaijan alongside footage of children killed in Gaza and Israeli officials. A shot of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with the Azerbaijani army in the background is shown after more pictures of children killed in Gaza. In addition, shots from meetings of Israeli and Azerbaijani officials and the flags of the two countries are often shown.

"The material obviously goes beyond its context to mislead the public," Azerbaijan's ANS Press commented.

Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Muhammad Bagir Bahrami, said the media should work to develop good relations.

"I consider that the mass media of each country should assist the development of relations between the two countries and the two peoples. Your country also has media structures that do not work in this direction. I urge the mass media of both countries to reflect the policy of the presidents and work for the development of friendship and fraternity."

Azerbaijan's ambassador to Iran, Javanshir Akhundov, said the embassy would investigate the Sahar TV videotape. He said that the provocative report was aimed at damaging neighbourly relations between the two countries.

On 5 February, Sahar TV suspended transmission of the report and reduced the number of its usual anti-Azerbaijani statements, ANS Press said. However, after the news came out about the visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Baku on 9 February, the clips were shown again.

Sahar TV is part of IRIB, Iran's national broadcasting corporation. It is targeted at a foreign audience and broadcasts to Azerbaijan in Azerbaijani.

ANS PRESS