Ukrainian TV channel justifies itself for biased material about COP29 in Baku

Freedom TV, part of Ukraine’s state enterprise The International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine (IBMPU), has issued an official response to the Azerbaijani news outlet Minval.az.

The correspondence was prompted by an episode of the program "Smotrite Sami" (Look for Yourself) that focused on COP29. Statements made during the program were deemed inappropriate by the Azerbaijani side, Caliber.Az reports.

The response, signed by IBMPU General Director Yulia Bin, clarified that Look for Yourself is an independent project by Ukrainian journalist Volodymyr Runtz, produced by the external company SLM News. Adhering to Ukrainian law, IBMPU does not interfere in the editorial policies or activities of journalists. The program’s views were emphasized as being solely the subjective opinions of its author, not reflective of the official stance of Freedom TV or the Ukrainian state.

The letter highlighted Ukraine’s successful participation in COP29. Yulia Bin noted that Ukrainian Minister of Environmental Protection Svitlana Hrynchuk underscored key outcomes of the conference, including the adoption of a new $300 billion annual climate fund to support developing countries. Ukraine's pavilion at COP29 reportedly garnered significant international attention, facilitating agreements on Ukraine's “green” reconstruction efforts.

Additionally, on the sidelines of COP29, Ukrainian and Azerbaijani environment ministers met and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on environmental issues. Ukraine also supported eight Azerbaijani initiatives at the conference, marking an important step in strengthening bilateral ties.

In response, Minval.az expressed gratitude to Freedom TV for its swift reaction and emphasized the hope that Ukrainian media would objectively report on events to further strengthen trust and understanding between Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

By Khagan Isayev