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The 10th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers has today started in Tehran, Iran.
Officials from the 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are participating in the event. “Media Convergence for Peace and Calm in the Islamic World” is the motto of the meeting.
Opening the event, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati said “in today’s world, the crucial role that media plays and its impact on international developments cannot be overemphasized. Globalization of media has enormously contributed to availability of information in the cyber space”.
Other speakers at the event included Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation Iyad Ameen Madani and First Vice-President of Iran Eshaq Jahangiri.
Addressing the session, head of the Public and Political Affairs Department at the Azerbaijani President`s Administration Ali Hasanov said: “Having great significance in the international relations system the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has already confirmed itself as a successful model of unification of Muslim countries. It has made important contributions for expanding of mutually beneficial relations, political, economic and cultural cooperation between the member states, strengthening of Islamic solidarity and protection of interests of our peoples. OIC is also an extremely important platform for discussing the complicated global and geopolitical processes, which concern our countries, to discuss existing problems, to find out solutions, to form common position against observed threats and pressure. It must be praiseworthy noted that there have been gained quite a lot of experience in this area.
Today we are concerned about the various negative processes undermining the stability in the world and in many Muslim countries. On the other hand, we are concerned about the attempts to form the false opinion about Islam religion that in reality represents reconciliation, peace and tranquility. The political events that shake the whole Arab world, as well as the Palestinian national struggle for independence, military operations in Syria, military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and other such kind of problems are the necessary significant factors for ensuring sustainable peace and security in Islamic world, which impedes sustainable development as well as to mobilize our efforts for the single purpose.
It should be noted with regret that the Western islamophobic circles and the transnational media present the Muslim world process and events, in one-sided and biased form. As a result of it there has being created biased and misleading impression in the international community about Muslim countries to be distinguished by both the material and spiritual wealth, also about Islam, that is a religion of peace and reconciliation. To equate Islam with terrorism, to present every Muslim in the image of potential terrorist, to attempt to identify Islamic values as harmful and alien elements, separating them from universal values – all of those rightly raise serious objections throughout the Islamic world.
As you know, for more than 20 years, Armenia has occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh. Beside all infrastructures, national, cultural and religious monuments, mosques have been destroyed on the historical Azerbaijani lands. The UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other influential international organizations have adopted relevant decisions and resolutions on liberation of those territories from the occupation. Unfortunately, all this have no concrete results. Armenia not only ignores international law and the decisions of the influential organizations, also tries to discredit the Islamic values giving religious color for aggressive policy to substantiate own unfair position, uses Christian solidarity factor, tries to take the advantage of the islamophobic circles, leading media resources of West and in some cases achieves this. With confidence we can say that other Muslim countries with similar problems have faced with such cases. Those facts clearly confirm that there is a great need to expand mutual relations in the field of information, along with the strengthening of Islamic solidarity.
It should be taken into account that in the modern period when there exist a common information space and transnational media, information has became an important factor in the development of interstate relations. Also the importance of mass media has increased as an effective tool providing the formation and expression of public opinion. Formation of information policy according to the existing conditions, identification of priorities in the global network, ensuring the information security of society are important issues for any state, including Islamic countries.
The important decisions were adopted in the 9th meeting of Information Ministers of the OIC member countries in Libreville, the capital of Gabon in 2012, in order to strengthen the cooperation in the field of information. We believe that the media objectivity and solidarity of Islamic countries retains its urgency, and in that purpose it is important to coordinate the activities of our media, to establish joint media institutions and take the advantage of their purposeful activity. In the interests of the Muslim world, we have to develop mutual relations with leading world media structures; we have to organize frequent forums and conferences on the actual issues. There is a need to expand the objective information exchange between the Mass Media of OIC member states, to coordinate the joint activities in the virtual space and to implement measures in order to create common internet resources.
The Republic of Azerbaijan has always contributed to the strengthening of Islamic solidarity in the world and cooperation among Muslim countries and mutual relations. And afterwards we are determined to continue the realization of the goals of this area. We believe that 4th Islamic Solidarity Games planned to be hold in Baku in 2017 will also serve to our common interests. Azerbaijan has already gained great experience in hosting of important international events. We will do our best for the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games to attract the attention of the world as the embodiment of friendship and solidarity among Muslim countries, showing the rich potential of the Islamic world. We believe that this will be a great opportunity for media representatives of all Muslim countries as well.
With this in mind, we propose to hold the next 11th meeting of the Information Ministers of the OIC member states in Azerbaijan. Also, taking into account that there has been adopted the decision on establishment of the Union of Journalists at the 9th meeting of the Information Ministers of Islamic countries, and that there has already been implemented preliminary measures and the relevant structures established in Azerbaijan, we put forward the initiative to hold the presentation of the Union of Journalists of the Islamic Countries in the framework of the next meeting.”
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