Oman’s leading English-language daily newspaper “Times of Oman” has published an article highlighting the second Global Media Forum held in Azerbaijan’s ancient city of Shusha on July 20-22, as well as the remarks made by President Ilham Aliyev as he answered questions from the forum participants during the opening ceremony.
“Now in its second year, the Forum attracted an international audience, and provided an opportunity to meet with COP29 Presidency officials. The Forum offered ample opportunities to discuss questions relevant to the COP preparations and other vital issues on supporting the global fight against climate change,” the article said.
“The opening ceremony of the second Shusha Global Media Forum themed “Unmasking False Narratives: Confronting Disinformation” was held on July 20.
The Forum featured a panel session dealing with policy and ınitiatives for building resilient societies against disinformation. The Forum has also sparked crucial conversations and fostered partnerships among media professionals worldwide, paving the way for a more informed and resilient global media landscape.
The session focused on strategies and initiatives to establish sustainable communities resilient against disinformation. Discussions aimed at addressing the global threat of disinformation included the establishment of a more robust online media ecosystem and the role of media in actively combating disinformation across various platforms and formats.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the Forum and answered the questions raised by the media professionals and experts. Rebecca McLaughlin-Eastham, a TV anchor and Executive Producer, representing Euronews TV Channel was the moderator of the session,” the article noted.
The article featured President Ilham Aliyev's remarks on security issues in the region, restoration and reconstruction works carried out in the liberated territories. “I think all what we need is to feel ourselves, I mean, the peoples of the region on the safe side. There have been enough wars, enough confrontations, and as you already mentioned, what you’ve seen coming from Fuzuli Airport to here is an enormous reconstruction program we are implementing, and what you've seen is just maybe 5% of what is going on in the region of Karabakh and East Zangazur. So, we are very optimistic. I would say that the whole society of Azerbaijan is optimistic and enthusiastic. And this is a good driver. I think the main driver for any country to succeed is the mood of society, its comfort and its expectations. Especially, when societies see that what they strived for, for so many years, has become a reality,” President Ilham Aliyev noted.
Speaking about Azerbaijan’s substantial progress in its renewables sector, President Ilham Aliyev said: “We inaugurated the first solar power station of 230 megawatts. Now, the construction of a wind power station of 240 megawatts is underway. Soon, we will enjoy the groundbreaking ceremony for the third solar power station of 240 megawatts. The first was done by Masdar, the second, which is now under construction, is ACWA Power, and the third, which we expect to start with BP - the leading energy companies of the world. Above that, last month in Baku, we had the groundbreaking ceremony for three solar and wind power stations with a total capacity of one gigawatt. So, we are doing a lot of that. We have great potential—both technical and economic. The technical potential of offshore wind power in Azerbaijan is 157 gigawatts based on IFC, which is part of the World Bank institution. The economic potential of onshore solar and wind is 27 gigawatts, which clearly indicates how much we can generate. It’s enormous.”
The article also highlighted President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks about the future of the media industry and the role of artificial intelligence. “It might be difficult for me to compete with such venerable representatives of the media industry here and say something they do not know. But as far as artificial intelligence is concerned, yes, this is a topic that is already entering a completely new plane now. From time to time, official reports are published in competent sources in Azerbaijan claiming that some business projects are allegedly announced on my behalf, but this has absolutely nothing to do with me or Azerbaijan as a whole,” President Ilham Aliyev underlined.
