Azerbaijani president calls for credible cooperation among D-8 countries

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has welcomed participants to the inaugural Media Forum of the Developing-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8), held in Baku under the theme “Fostering Dialogue, Collaboration, and Regional Cohesion.”

Addressing media professionals, public figures, and policymakers from D-8 member states, President Aliyev emphasised the significance of Azerbaijan’s role within the organisation, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

“Last year, the Republic of Azerbaijan was unanimously elected to the D-8 membership. This reflects the international confidence placed in our country and our strong, cooperative relations with all member states,” he said.

Highlighting the scope and potential of the D-8 bloc, which spans three continents and represents a population of 1.2 billion, Aliyev noted, “The D-8 platform provides wider opportunities to advance development in areas such as sustainable economic growth, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, climate action, and energy security.”

President Aliyev also stressed the importance of media collaboration in an era of rapid information transformation.

“Currently, the media environment is affected by rapid transformations. The rise of disinformation, fake news, hybrid threats, deepfakes, AI misuse, and other manipulations undermines international stability and confidence between countries,” he said. He called for credible collaboration among D-8 media institutions to “build a just, impartial, non-biased and responsible information space.”

Azerbaijan has been active in promoting media initiatives since joining D-8, organising the first D-8 NGOs meeting and the High-Level Climate and Urban Dialogue in Baku.

“Today’s Forum opens new opportunities to share experiences between media institutions of friendly countries. I believe the ideas and joint project proposals voiced here will play a significant role in shaping the future information policies of D-8 countries,” Aliyev said.

Concluding his remarks, the President expressed hope for the Forum’s success: “I wish every single success to this Media Forum, which I am confident will contribute significantly to fostering cooperation, mutual confidence, and solidarity between our peoples, and ensuring information security.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev