Two days ago, sources in the government that used to be connected with the Soros Foundation and possibly are still connected, informed that a destructive group in the government had ordered a number of controlled media outlets and so-called media figures to attack Mehman Aliyev, the director of the Turan Information Agency, for urging the publication of the draft law on media with the aim of holding public hearings.

Two days ago, the head of the pseudo trade union organization of journalists, a well-known major master of foreign grants, Mushvig Aleskerli, acted as a lawyer for this group. And today the editor-in-chief of https://azsiyaset.com/ Samir Feyruzov published a libel against Aliyev. Reprint went https://azerforum.com/, https://median.az/, https://azxeber.com/ Feyruzov published the libel titled “Who cares about government support for the media and why? – Mehman Aliyev’s “claims” …” in the Analysis-Analyst heading. The very name of the column testifies to the level of the so-called editor, not to mention the fact that the libel he wrote does not at all correspond to the genre of analytics. This is just a libel – a statement of erroneous, unverified facts and conclusions. Perhaps not he wrote the libel, but it was presented him from the pseudo-analyst group that decided to hit Aliyev. In any case, the editor of the site with the heading Analysis-analytics and the customers of the article are one and the same, and this is an indicator of the level of pseudo-journalism and bureaucracy that Aliyev is so worried about.

The libel emphasizes the fact that the demand to promulgate the bill is based on the interests of foreign forces that are directing Aliyev.

First, the emphasis is on Aliyev’s close relationship with the Soros Foundation (Open Society Institute), on Soros’s desire to establish control over the state system, society, and the media.

Second, it is argued that Aliyev allegedly opposes state aid to the press and provides examples of state aid to the media in the Scandinavian countries.

The date when Aliyev came to the Soros Foundation and his position in the Foundation are wrong. It is indicated that Aliyev headed the Foundation in June 2010. Both are not true. Aliyev was elected chair of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation on a voluntary basis in March 2010 and left in the fall of 2010 due to the closure of the Foundation. In fact, during his presidency, the process of closing the representative office of the Foundation in Azerbaijan was going on.

Not Mehman Aliyev invited the Soros Foundation to Azerbaijan, but Heydar Aliyev in 1997. By this time, Turan was a self-sufficient information structure with a staff of 45 people, which did not receive grants from any organization, domestic or foreign.

In 2003, on the eve of the presidential elections, George Soros arrived in Azerbaijan. He met with Heydar Aliyev, met with Ilham Aliyev. Mehman Aliyev then met with Soros, who was interested in the conditions of the elections and the candidates’ chances of success.

The Fund has done a lot to carry out reforms and form the expert community of Azerbaijan. In 2008-2009 alone, the Fund spent about $ 6.5 million on grants, operational projects and other activities in Azerbaijan. Grant funds were distributed by industry as follows; 24% – healthcare, 3% – research on the East-West topic, 7% – education, 5% – culture, 2% – youth, 2% – information, 9% – law, 8% – local government, 7% – mass media , 18% – transparency of oil revenues and public funds, 5% – women, 10% – civil society programs.

Many who have used the resources of the foundation and other international donors today are renowned experts, NGO leaders, members of parliament and government. It should be noted that today the main recipient of international grants is not Mehman Aliyev, but government agencies and related NGOs. Therefore, we still need to see who and whose interests are promoting in Azerbaijan.

As for the second, Aliyev does not oppose state support for the media. Aliyev was the developer of the problem of the financial and economic situation of the media and in 2006 put forward the idea of creating a special structure under the president. After the creation of the State Support of Mass Media Development Fund in 2009, Aliyev was offered to become a member of the Board. Aliyev was ready to agree, if state support would work to develop the media as responsible, pluralistic, independent, following the example of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. They did not agree with this. After that, the paths parted. As a result, the media situation has worsened even more, despite state support – money, apartments. Hence the steps to create a Media Development Agency and the preparation of a media law.

Aliyev’s position: The Media Development Agency should create the basis for the media to earn money as a commercial structure, become self-sufficient and at the same time meet the criteria of the Professional and Ethical Code of Journalists. Then everything will depend on who is capable of what within the framework of fair competition. Someone will continue the path, someone will merge with someone, and someone will leave the information field. This will be natural selection, which will form competition, which in the classical sense is the engine of progress, including the media.

Source: Turan News Agency