The recent surge in unfounded and biased posts and claims in Turkiye’s media space, particularly on social media, which are incompatible with legal, diplomatic and ethical norms and are aimed at undermining the brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye and creating a negative perception of these relations in public opinion, naturally causes concern among the Azerbaijani public, the Media and Broadcasting Council stated in a statement.

Axar.az reports that the Council noted that, given the high level of relations between the two brotherly countries and the atmosphere of mutual trust, it regards as regrettable and unacceptable the continued smear campaigns against Azerbaijan at certain short intervals, the easy dissemination of biased claims and disinformation, and the failure to take any measures in response.

The aforementioned posts are not isolated initiatives by individuals, but part of a targeted campaign that certain circles direct on the basis of a certain degree of coordination and a unified approach. Such actions not only fall outside legal and ethical norms but also run counter to the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Turkiye. We believe that, as in other relevant cases, a sensitive approach and the enforcement of legislative requirements should also be applied with regard to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani side is closely monitoring developments in the Turkish media and social media space, and it cannot rule out taking relevant measures provided for by legislation, including restrictions on the entry into Azerbaijan of the organizers and executors of the smear campaign.

The Azerbaijani public considers it unacceptable to allow those seeking to undermine the historical, political and moral ties, mutual trust and strategic alliance established between the two states and peoples to have a platform, and expects concrete steps to be taken to prevent such attempts.