Azerbaijani MP: The Washington Post management takes indecent position

This company and newspaper can not be taken as a model of decency and legality, member of the Azerbaijani parliament, member of the parliament’s security and defense committee and also member of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party’s Political Council Aydin Mirzade said.  

He was commenting on reports by the Turkish media that an investigation has been launched in the U.S. into sources that fund Washington Post Company which own media and non-media companies including Newsweek and Foreign Policy magazines, The Washington Post newspaper and Cable One cable television.

Turkish media reported that the investigation into financial sources of Washington Post Company has been launched by the U.S. Department of Education which has revealed a number of serious violations in the company’s activities. It is noted that the American media, which is usually quick to react to such events that occur in other countries, for some reasons almost make no coverage of investigation into financial sources of the Washington Post Company. It is also noted that in recent years The Washington Post has published a series of articles aimed against Head of the White House Administration Ram Emanuel.

Mirzazade said a number of western media often raise issues on which they lack knowledge.
 
"For example, if you ask the authors of articles and editor of The Washington Post, they are unlikely to be able to correctly pronounce the word “Azerbaijan" and say where our country is located. The biased article about Azerbaijan in this newspaper seems to be written under some order. I would even say under a political order," the MP said.

He stressed that such articles play into hands of the Azerbaijani opposition, which writes only about this on the eve of parliamentary elections.

"First, such articles simply are full of distortions and inaccuracies. Secondly, through such articles, the newspaper interferes with country’s domestic politics and plays into hands of the Azerbaijani opposition and tries to create a negative image of our country in America,” Mirzazade added.

"Of course, some people want to create a false impression and a negative image for Azerbaijan at a time when Azerbaijan strengthens its economy and plays a key role in ensuring energy security of Europe. Apparently, someone really wants it and therefore these actions lack decency and honesty. So, we should witness such kind of articles in future, too,” he stressed.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly passed this way both in the 1990s and in 2000, he said.

“Back then some European newspaper published articles on Azerbaijan. But checks revealed that they were full of lies and disinformation. Of course, they may well later announce that supposedly it was just journalist's point of view refuting what they have written. It would be better for them to verify the information before they spread it.”

"I think that The Washington Post management takes indecent position. This will not contribute to strengthening of friendship between Azerbaijan and the U.S. Azerbaijan has faced such political provocations numerous times. I think no one in Azerbaijan and in serious political circles in the West will believe in libel published by such newspapers,” Mirzazade said.

Turkish media says that the investigation launched against Washington Post Company revealed that Kaplan educational institutions are key source of financing of the company and it provides more than half the company's revenues that make up about 5 billion dollars a year.

Mirzazade noted that the Armenian may well pay for the defamatory articles in the Western media.

"It has not been proven, but it quite possible. At a time when Armenia seeks to justify itself before the world community for the seizure of Azerbaijani territory and genocide it committed in Khojaly, as well as in many localities in Azerbaijan and also justify its unconstructive position it occupies in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, it does not cost anything for certain circles of the Armenian Diaspora to throw a few thousand dollars in the pocket of a journalist and book a story. This is often done in the West, and even publishers of such newspapers do not deny such facts,” he added.


Day.Az