Repоrts disseminated by a number of foreign media outlets linking Azerbaijan to the ongoing investigation concerning August Hanning, former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), are disinformation and are considered part of an intensive smear campaign recently carried out against Azerbaijan.

Axar.az reports that the Media and Broadcasting Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan said in a statement.

“It is a matter of serious concern that unfounded allegations linking Azerbaijan to the said investigation—initially published by Germany’s Der Spiegel and subsequently circulated by Reuters, AFP, France 24, The Times, The Telegraph, and other international media outlets—are presented to a broad audience as fact. The circulation of such materials without reference to official sources constitutes an unacceptable manipulation of information.

The malicious intent of the forces behind this disinformation operation is to damage Azerbaijan-Germany relations, which have developed further in recent times.

The Media and Broadcasting Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns such disinformation campaigns aimed at groundlessly portraying Azerbaijan in a negative context in the international information space. It calls on international media outlets to strictly adhere to the fundamental principles of professional journalism—including accuracy, objectivity, attribution to reliable sources, and fact-checking—and to refrain from disseminating false information and manipulating public opinion,” the statement emphasized.