The reports published by several foreign media outlets mentioning Azerbaijan in connection with the investigation into former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) August Hanning are disinformation and should be viewed as part of an intensified smear campaign against Azerbaijan in recent times.

Axar.az reports that the statement was issued by the Media and Broadcasting Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“The dissemination of unfounded claims linking Azerbaijan to the aforementioned 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, and their presentation to a broad audience as facts, is a matter of serious concern. Publishing such reports without citing official sources constitutes unacceptable information manipulation.

The malicious intent behind this disinformation operation is to undermine 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 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, reliance on credible sources and verification of information, and to refrain from spreading false information and manipulating public opinion,” the statement said.