Another secret to Azerbaijan’s victories From the symbolic city — a global signal
Today, in the liberated and rapidly revitalizing city of Shusha, which is the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, the 3rd Shusha Global Media Forum continued its work. The forum brought together over 140 representatives from more than 50 countries — leading media experts, journalists, representatives of international organisations, academia, and the communications community.
The high calibre of participants, the quality of discussions, and the strategic themes of the forum all testify to its growing significance not only for the region but for the global media space as well. The tone was undoubtedly set by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, who yesterday, during an almost three-hour-long interaction with representatives of foreign and local media, answered the most pressing and relevant questions facing Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus region, and the world.
Today, special attention from the forum’s participants and guests was drawn to the vivid and conceptually rich speech delivered by Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department for Foreign Policy Issues of the Presidential Administration. His brilliant address in English stood out as a powerful statement not only about Azerbaijan’s experience in combating disinformation but also about the strategic mindset guiding the country’s political leadership.
Hajiyev emphasized that an especially intense wave of disinformation was unleashed against Azerbaijan during the 44-day Patriotic War. According to him, the country faced massive information attacks aimed at discrediting its actions, history, and sovereignty. However, Azerbaijani media, he said, did not merely cope with the challenge but actively and successfully fought against falsehoods — armed with facts, professionalism, and a sense of responsibility toward their people.
“Thanks to high cohesion, professionalism, and international cooperation, our journalists have become an important part of the information front. We have dismantled the lies built against Azerbaijan,” Hajiyev noted. And that is true. I would only add that we had to confront global Armenian networks, which have long-standing traditions of engaging politicians and journalists from various countries.
Overall, Hajiyev’s speech became a genuine programme declaration: in the face of hybrid threats, Azerbaijan not only defends its interests but also shapes its own model of a sustainable and proactive media sector, focused on truth, transparency, and national interests.
And it is especially important where this speech was delivered. The fact that the forum took place in the city of Shusha holds a special symbolic meaning. Hajiyev reminded that Shusha, as a symbolic city that has inspired generations of Azerbaijani thinkers, poets, and journalists, is now becoming a platform for developing new media approaches and ideas.
“Shusha is not just a geographical point. It is the cultural code of Azerbaijan, restored to the nation’s embrace. Here, in this inspiring city, new meanings and solutions are born,” he stated. An important aspect of his speech was also his emphasis on the unjust coverage of events related to Karabakh in international media.
Hajiyev noted that fake news and distortions of the truth about the Khojaly tragedy and other aspects of the conflict still require sustained efforts in international explanatory work. And it is Azerbaijani media that has become the main force promoting the truth.
Hikmet Hajiyev’s speech also demonstrated the quality of the entire team formed by President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state himself is fluent in several foreign languages, which allows him to confidently represent the country on the international stage. At the same time, he surrounds himself with competent, highly professional managers who are capable of solving tasks at the highest level.
The Shusha Forum became yet another confirmation: informational resilience, foreign policy activism, and media literacy are the result of purposeful work and a strategic approach. In an era of digital transformations and information threats, Azerbaijan sets an example of how professionalism, state-mindedness, and loyalty to national interests become the key to victory not only on the battlefield but also in the global information arena.