Today, Russia and Azerbaijan are two reliable partners, and I think that there is no doubt about this in Azerbaijan or Russia, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the “Rossiya Segodnya” International News Agency, Azernews reports.
Day: December 18, 2024
Romania, Italy and Spain have rejected claims by Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that their representatives at Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting opposed sanctions against members of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The countries reiterated their concern about the situation in Georgia and condemned the “inaccurate” information and “disinformation” spread by Irakli Kobakhidze.
“Deeply disappointed about the choice of presenting inaccurately internal discussions at EU level. We use this opportunity to reiterate our strong concern about the Georgian Government’s decision on EU accession dialogue and the violent repression of Georgian’s legitimate protests,” reads the Romanian Foreign Ministry’s statement. The Spokesperson for Romanian MFA further called the GD PM’s Kobakhidze’s statement “a blatant example of disinformation regarding Romania’s position on Georgia.”
Following the Romanian MFA’s social media post, the Italian Foreign Ministry also made a statement, noting that during the Foreign Affairs Council debate Italy – “reiterating the strongest condemnation against all violence that has occurred in the country in recent weeks” – supported the measures proposed by Kaja Kallas, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, including sanctions and suspension of visa-free travel for diplomatic passports.
“Italy reiterated that the European Union must stand by the Georgian people and hoped that the most recent decisions in Tbilisi that ended up effectively suspending their European path could be reviewed,” stresses Italian MFA.
Finally, Spanish Foreign Ministry too took to social media to reject PM Kobakhidze’s claims, stating: “Spain has been very clear expressing its grave concern about civil rights in Georgia and about alleged disinformation campaigns. We have fully supported the decisions adopted yesterday by the FAC. Disinformation is a threat to our democracies that we will always oppose.”
The Foreign Affairs Council meeting was held on December 16, where the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states discussed the situation in Georgia. While sanctions against GD officials were reportedly vetoed by Hungary and Slovakia, the EU Council asked the EU Commission to prepare the official document with a view to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian diplomatic passports. This decision only requires qualified majority of the block’s member states. On December 17, Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that Italy, Spain and Romania had also “defended the interests of the Georgian people” during the debate and opposed the HR/VP Kallas’ proposals. This post, shared on the Georgian government’s X (formerly Twitter) account, has already been flagged as disinformation.
Also Read:
Sevinj Vagifgizi dedicated her award to all journalists fighting against corruption.
On December 10, Sevinj Vagifgizi, the editor-in-chief of “Abzas Media,” who is currently in prison, was declared the “Global Anti-Corruption Champion.” In light of this achievement, she addressed the public in a heartfelt appeal.
The journalist expressed her gratitude to those who deemed her deserving of the award, as well as to everyone who remains loyal to democratic principles:
“I would like to thank everyone who remains loyal to democratic principles for deeming me worthy of this prestigious award.”
As part of “Abzas Media,” Sevinj Vagifgizi and her team have uncovered a wide range of corruption. They exposed the criminal activities of the family members of the country’s leader, Ilham Aliyev, and how the officials appointed by him misused state funds. Reflecting on the situation, she said, “Unfortunately, instead of opening criminal cases against these officials based on these facts, state agencies accused the journalists who uncovered these crimes of ‘dirty money’ and imprisoned them.”
According to Vagifgizi, after Ilham Aliyev took control of the judiciary and the legislative bodies, he has now shifted his focus to eliminating independent media. “However, I believe that everyone who remains loyal to democratic principles will not allow the destruction of the country’s only breathing entity, the free media. This award is an achievement of all journalists who have uncovered corruption crimes.”
The Global Anti-Corruption Champions Award, established in the U.S. in 2021, is designed to recognize individuals who have taken extraordinary steps in the fight against corruption. It also aims to demonstrate solidarity with these heroic partners.
Along with Sevinj Vagifgizi, nine other individuals were honored with this prestigious award.
Sevinj Vagifgizi was arrested on November 21, 2023, as part of the “Abzas Media Case.” She, along with five other imprisoned staff members of the media organization, has been accused of smuggling.
The journalists have denied the charges, asserting that their arrests are directly linked to their investigations into corruption.
The post A Journalist’s Public Appeal: Aliyev Wants to Destroy the Media That Investigates Him appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
On December 17, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the “Rossiya Segodnya” International News Agency, author and host of the “Vesti Nedeli” program on the “Rossiya-1” television channel, for the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and Russia’s RIA Novosti agency.