The Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan has issued a statement regarding the campaign of threats being conducted on social networks against the participants of the “New Media in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution” Global Media Forum, Azernews reports.

The statement reads:

“The "New Media in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution" Global Media Forum held in the city of Shusha, the cultural capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on July 21-23, 2023, and attended by 150 foreign guests from 49 countries of the world, including heads of state information agencies of 34 countries, 12 international organizations, media institutions, high-level media experts and journalists, is being described in the international public opinion as a historic event of great importance with serious and professional messages towards the future.

The purpose of the forum was to discuss the future development directions of journalism, which provides the global audience with news of public importance in a world-changing almost at the speed of light and witnessing technological innovations. The forum hosted a detailed discussion of the new tools in journalism and communication in the digital era, the role of the media in this context, the current role and future of traditional media, difficulties in journalism against the background of new trends and new directions that are becoming relevant, as well as the results created by the application of digital tools in this field.

However, it is regrettable that the government of Armenia and its close circles deliberately attempted to politicize the essence of the “New Media in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution” Global Media Forum proceeding from their limited mercantile interests have unleashed a campaign of slander on social networks against the high-level experts who participated in the prestigious event and journalists who have influence in international public opinion, thereby trying to cast a shadow on their reputation and taking a position that is in no way consistent with media ethics. On behalf of Azerbaijani journalists, we, as the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, vehemently condemn such a smear campaign, consider it as a terror against freedom of speech and journalism, and declare that it is unacceptable to use a forum, which was organized, guided by professional principles and dedicated to the problems and development prospects of the modern media, as a tool for hate speech.”