The management and a group of students of the faculty of Journalism of the Baku State University (BSU) visited the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) on Monday.

During the meeting, Vugar Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of AZERTAC, provided detailed information about the agency`s history, path of development and the areas of activity.

Emphasizing that AZERTAC celebrated its 105th anniversary a few days ago, Vugar Aliyev noted that founded on March 1, 1920, by the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, AZERTAC traversed a complex, difficult, and honorable path as the first national news agency. “Unfortunately, AZERTAC, a legacy of the Republic era, was able to exist as an independent news source for only 58 days. Following the fall of the ADR, the agency operated as a branch of the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) and underwent seven name changes over 70 years, facing strict censorship. After Azerbaijan regained its state independence, the agency's historical name was restored. AZERTAC’s turning point came when Heydar Aliyev assumed political leadership in Azerbaijan, spurring progress across the republic. By order of President Ilham Aliyev on February 26, 2015, it was rebranded as the Azerbaijan State Information Agency (AZERTAC),” he underscored.

The Chairman of the Board underlined that in recent years, AZERTAC has signed cooperation agreements with nearly 50 international news agencies and exchanges information with media organizations across five continents. He noted that over the past years, AZERTAC's news dissemination reached a qualitatively new level.

“Every day, the Agency provides over 500 news in 8 languages — Azerbaijani, English, Russian, German, French, Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish—while also pioneering video news in five languages in the region. At the same time, AZERTAC operates correspondent stations in about 25 countries around the world. The agency plays a crucial role in conveying Azerbaijan’s realities to nearly every corner of the world and is recognized as a reliable, credible, and impartial source of information on the global stage,” the Chairman of Board emphasized.

Vugar Aliyev also stated that today AZERTAC has turned into a real training school for young journalists.

Vugar Zifaroglu, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism of Baku State University (BSU), member of the Supervisory Board of the Media Development Agency, PhD highlighted BSU’s fruitful cooperation with various media organizations, including the Media Development Agency, the Audiovisual Council, and the Press Council. He also mentioned the establishment of dedicated media rooms at the Faculty of Journalism which provide student journalists with practical experience. He noted that the students of the Faculty of Journalism attend internships in Azerbaijan’s authoritative media organizations.

The meeting also focused on dedicated room that AZERTAC will set up at the Baku State University and its importance in terms of exchange of experience for young journalists.

Following the meeting, the delegation of the Baku State University viewed conditions created in AZERTAC’s building.