Possibilities of joint fight against disinformation discussed at Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan media forum

The recently created Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Expert Council will become a serious intellectual platform necessary for raising the level of interstate relations, said Sanjar Valiev, director of the Information and Analytical Center for International Relations (Uzbekistan), during a panel discussion at the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan media forum on "In Search of Truth in the Digital Age: Combating Disinformation," Report's representative attending the forum said.

Valiev said that experts from both countries have become frequent guests on TV channels, news and other publications, commenting on various events: "It is gratifying that we objectively see and evaluate each other's efforts with a positive approach. And this is not just mutual courtesy, but really an impartial perception of the information picture."

Valiev noted that close and trusting working contacts are being established between various departments of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, corresponding to the spirit of allied relations. Speaking on the same panel, Rovshan Mammadov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Television and Radio CJSC, emphasized that disinformation is a tool of geopolitical influence.

As an example, he pointed to the situation around the Karabakh conflict, noting how world media distorted real facts, presenting Azerbaijan as an "aggressor." "In the early 90s, when the Armenian armed forces occupied Karabakh and adjacent territories, Azerbaijan faced a severe humanitarian catastrophe. About 20% of its lands were under occupation, and more than a million people - hungry, deprived of home and all rights - were forced to live in tents and wagons.

Despite all these facts, influential US and European media presented the events in a different light, accusing Azerbaijan of aggression. As a result, the 907th amendment was adopted in the US, directed specifically against Azerbaijan. This became a classic example of how disinformation can change the perception of real events. In fact, it was Azerbaijan that for 30 years observed how its lands were subjected to looting and destruction, and historical and cultural monuments were destroyed," he said. According to Mammadov, despite the rapid spread of disinformation, there are ways to combat it: "One of the most effective methods is the unity and solidarity of peoples. Cooperation in traditional or serious information resources can help solve many problems."

At the panel "Best International Practices in Combating Disinformation," Akbar Rizaev, head of the Center for Mass Communications at the Agency for Information and Mass Communications of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, spoke about cooperation with major social platforms such as Meta, Telegram and YouTube in combating disinformation: "We periodically contact them to prevent the spread of disinformation and phishing attacks."

Ilgar Huseynov, director of the Trend International Information Agency, stated that one of the methods of combating disinformation could be attracting informed people to journalism. "Journalism should become a prestigious profession so that the specialists coming there are highly professional and aware of the ongoing processes," he noted.