Press and civil society should be able to work with foreign donors - Ambassador Maning

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Question: -  Dear Ambassador,  today the press of Azerbaijan and Armenia has a significant impact on the public opinion of the two countries, which have just ended the war, but the peace has not been signed. Does the German government have any ideas or projects to involve the media of both countries in the reconciliation process?

Answer: - We cooperate with civil society and the press in Azerbaijan and our colleagues of the German Embassy in Armenia also cooperate with the local media and NGOs.

We are working on a project aimed at increasing the involvement and responsibility of Azerbaijani journalists in covering the conflict and finding ways out. It is necessary for the press to be independent and to organize free discussions in order to find ways of reconciliation. If the press from Armenia also takes part in this, it would be very good and useful.

We hope to be able to implement such a project this year. It is important that media workers of the two countries meet and discuss these issues together.

Question: - You have been working in Azerbaijan for a year and a half. How do you assess the state of freedom of speech and press in Azerbaijan? What do you think needs to be done to improve the situation?

Answer: - In countries like Azerbaijan, a big problem is the financial independence of the media. In addition, certain political circles are trying to control the press; there is only a very limited advertising market - big holdings can pursue their interests by controlling this market and directly interfering in the freedom of the editorial staff. In such a situation, journalists become dependent on the authorities and their activities, the development of a free press is difficult.

In a democratic country, the authorities must do their utmost to create conditions in favor of the financial independence of the media. A special challenge is the future of print media, processes which are taking place also in Western European countries.Interest in print media is declining and the activity of Internet sites and social media is growing, high quality journalism is ailing.

The OSCE and the Council of Europe support institutions that foster independent media in addressing these issues and assisting media where economic conditions restrict the development of media. Therefore, existing legal restrictions hindering such cooperation should be removed. The press and civil society organizations should be able to work also with foreign donors.

The authorities should take all these problems into account and should ensure the financial independence of the media and of civil society organisations, also in Azerbaijan.. It would be useful to establish discussions between the authorities and the journalistic community in order to address and eliminate existing problems and use the experience of other countries. The situation in Azerbaijan, however, is not unique.Similar problems can be observed in other countries. Thus, there is enough international expertise how to tackle the challenges. For the German part, we are ready to share our experience and assistance. Dialogue and goodwill is required to combat fake news, manifestations of hatred and enmity.

Question: Don't you think that the existence of free media is not just a matter of legislation, but how much of the implementation of existing laws and, most importantly, the presence of the political will of the authorities? Is it possible for an independent press to exist under an authoritarian regime?

Answer: - Where an independent press exists, there is no authoritarian regime. This means that the press can influence public opinion and politicians have to react on it. Since the political system is a living organism, it can change depending on the processes and on the actions of its citizens. The more restrictive, the slower it changes.

This is also valid in Azerbaijan: If we compare the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan last year with those that were held previously, we can see some progress, particularly during the election campaign. The activities of the population and the actions of the authorities were different compared with earlier years. In this context, particular social media plays a huge role, regardless of the restrictions imposed by a political system.

The experience of many countries of the former USSR shows that these processes cannot be contained. It is in the interest of the authorities to take this dynamic into consideration and to accept that civil society can be an active partner in solving many issues: The fight against corruption, ensuring social justice and protecting human rights. The press plays an extremely important role in all these matters.

If we want Azerbaijan to be removed from low ranks in the international Press Freedom Index, then the above mentioned thoughts should be considered and implemented.

Thank you for the interview.

10.02.21

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