Organized by the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC), a conference themed "National Leader Heydar Aliyev`s role in the development of Azerbaijani press" has got underway in Baku.
Prior to the conference marking the 100th anniversary of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, the event participants viewed the "Heydar Aliyev-100" photo-exhibition.
The event commenced with a minute of silence in memory of the renowned politician and statesman Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of the country.
Furthermore, the proceedings included a video presentation highlighting the life and accomplishments of the National Leader.
Addressing the event, Chairman of the Board of AZERTAC Vugar Aliyev highlighted the unparalleled services of National Leader Heydar Aliyev across all domains in Azerbaijan.
On the Great Leader's contributions to the freedom of speech and media development in the country, Vugar Aliyev remarked: "One of the first and most important steps taken by the National Leader to promote freedom of speech and media development was the complete abolition of press censorship in 1998. It was a brave and perhaps even a risky move. At that time, the country was just rebounding from political upheavals. The country was in a state of war, although not in a hot phase, leaving several coup d'état attempts behind. Yet, Heydar Aliyev`s foresight, evident in initiation of democratic reforms in the country, gave a new life into the activities of the Azerbaijani media.”
