Azerbaijan lawmaker criticizes media scrutiny of first lady, calls coverage politically motivated

Alleged external media agitation surrounding President Ilham Aliyev’s participation at the Munich Security Conference with a peace agenda was politically motivated, Zahid Oruc said during a session of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan on February 20.

Oruc noted that questioning Azerbaijan on human rights, despite the country having liberated its territories and restored sovereignty, constitutes political hypocrisy. He said that other world leaders, such as those meeting Mazlum Abdi, are not subjected to human rights questioning, yet Azerbaijan’s First Lady, Mehriban Aliyeva, is scrutinized.

The lawmaker also highlighted that global media and NGO networks act as geopolitical tools, citing that “Azadliq” and Voice of America are funded by the U.S. Congress, the BBC by the British government, and Reuters maintains its funding confidentially.

Oruc added that information campaigns led by figures such as Emin and Mehman Huseynov have had no impact on the moral authority of Azerbaijani women and the state.

G.Nazimqızı