AN UNPRECEDENTED ACT OF SUPPORT

A writers' building, a house for artists, a settlement for displaced persons… Now Baku has a journalists' district. This is a first! Not only for Azerbaijan, but for the whole world.

On 22 July 2010, on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of Azerbaijan's press, President Ilham Aliyev ordered the construction of a state-funded block of flats for those working in the mass media. Three years later on this important day, the head of state attended the opening ceremony at the 17-storey high-rise block housing 156 flats. "I feel sure you know that the profession of journalist is a very difficult and responsible one. But most journalists would not be able to buy a flat in a block like this on their earnings. I think that this initiative was the most acceptable for providing accommodation as well as a bonus for journalists who have demonstrated their professionalism in their field and have worked in the press for many years," the president said, sincerely congratulating the media representatives on be allocated their flats.

Thus the initiative proposed by journalists at one of the meetings of the head of state has been implemented. A magnificent block of flats containing 84 two-room flats, 68 three-room flats and four four-room flats has been erected in a very short time; the block has a pleasantly equipped courtyard with summer houses to relax in, a children's playground, an electronic telephone exchange with 354 numbers, high-speed broadband and digital TV. From the building there is a splendid view of the Caspian Sea and the National Flag Square. What is more, Ilham Aliyev reported that a big complex is to appear around this block. "All these sections will be well equipped; new infrastructure units are to be created here. A water sports palace is to be built,"  Ilham Aliyev promised journalists, although it would not be correct to call it a promise. Today the adjacent zone is a building site on which various facilities in the future complex are being erected on the shore of the Caspian Sea.

Here the president has already laid the foundation stone of a second 17-storey block of flats for journalists, this time with 240 flats. This will be a triple panel building with one-, two-, three- and four-room flats, with all the necessary infrastructure. The instruction to allocate the first 5,000,000 manats for the construction work was signed on the same day.

The journalists' delight at getting these much-needed flats knew no bounds. Besides the improved living conditions, for many of them this means that the most expensive item in the family budget, the rent, will be considerably less. On the other hand, for the residents of the new building being awarded a flat is regarded more as recognition by the state of their many-year-long hard work and services to the state.

The provision of accommodation for journalists has met with public approval. Now, according to the experts interviewed in the reports on the complex, journalists will be able to spend more time on upgrading their professional skills, their search for objective information and not just on material gains.

Although some views have been expressed that, in receiving these flats, journalists will have to display their commitment to the authorities and be less objective in covering the problems. There was of course some speculation that, in allocating the flats, the Azeri authorities are bribing journalists on the threshold of the elections. But these accusations turned out to be untrue, since they were only circulated by politically involved media and experts. Nor is account taken of the fact that the journalists themselves repeatedly appealed for their living accommodation to be improved. The new flat dwellers include representatives of the media, offering different political views, including opposition points of view. It is highly unlikely that they will change their opposition views because they have been allocated a flat by the state. And the state itself is not obliging anyone to do anything in return. On the contrary, the president has stressed that the purpose of improving journalists' living conditions is to uphold freedom of speech in the country. He has emphasised that there are shortcomings and problems, which need to be resolved, so the press can help the government by revealing these problems.

Today thousands of newspapers and magazines are being printed in Azerbaijan and there are many news agencies and radio and TV channels operating. Internet journalism is developing apace. The state is taking an interest in developing the Internet, in implementing various programmes  and is proposing all the towns and cities in the country should be provided with broadband, funded by the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan.

 It is noteworthy that Internet charges in Azerbaijan are the lowest in the region and are around 2 per cent of the average monthly wage. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, Azerbaijan occupies the 20th  place on the list of 144 countries in the accessibility of its information and communications services. Seventy per cent of the population are already using the Internet in Azerbaijan. "In this case, we can naturally say with complete confidence that Azerbaijan will ensure maximum freedom of speech. That's how it should be. Because we are building a modern state, we have to become a developed country, so in this case Azerbaijan needs to meet all criteria on a high level. Progressive criteria need to form the basis for furthering economic and social as well as society-oriented trends,"  Ilham Aliyev stressed when speaking to journalists.

The only thing that the president appealed to journalists to do was to avoid being influenced by personal, party or corporate interests when writing about topics of national significance, to give more space to patriotism, independence and territorial integrity. "It is therefore vital that journalists should display patriotism. The principles cherished by the state need to prevail. First and foremost, the interests of the state need to be defended. We cannot allow any step that might harm the state. At the same time, the current problems in society should be resolved within the country," Ilham Aliyev noted.

President Aliyev believes that particular effort should be put into encouraging the foreign media to cover the Armenian-Azeri conflict in Nagorno-Karbakh. The sole purpose of this is to convey the truth about what is happening in the region to the world community, to prevent distortion of the actual situation by Armenia, which is occupying Azeri territory, and by its sponsors. "We need to provide true coverage of what is happening in Azerbaijan to the world press. Since you journalists are well aware that the aggressive Armenian lobby in those countries where it has influence are conducting a campaign against us. Why? For the purpose of proving and forming the view that Armenians cannot and will not live in Azerbaijan. Therefore from time to time libellous and fabricated items appear in the foreign press which do not reflect the truth about Azerbaijan.  They manage to do that by networking," the head of state drew attention to this, calling for wider use of the opportunities offered by the Internet.

Naturally Azerbaijan does have things to say and has already done so in many fields. This is not to the liking of some forces however. The president appealed to the journalists to co-ordinate their efforts more. "Unfortunately, there are still those who are seeking to find support abroad. When I mention 'abroad', it makes no difference to me on which pole or in which direction that "abroad" is," stated Ilham Aliyev.

So, Azerbaijan's president let it be known once again that, in boosting the development of the press, the state is no intending to influence its independence. On the contrary, the state is interested in circulating objective information, which prevents lies being told and false statements being made via the information space. It is no accident that back in 2008 a concept of state support for developing the press was adopted and a fund was set up, by means of which the entire media spectrum was embraced by financial aid from the state, irrespective of direction or political bias. Therefore the support for the mass media on the part of the Azeri state is of a social nature on the one hand  (in the same way as the government resolves the social problems affecting other, especially important professions, and also those of the socially vulnerable strata of the population); on the other hand, it serves to develop freedom of speech in the country. The only thing that is required in exchange is co-ordination of efforts regarding national issues.