Shusha, which lived under occupation for many years, is today the cultural capital of Azerbaijan and the Turkic world, a prestigious venue where international forums, open dialogue, and multicultural values converge. By transforming the historic city from a battlefield into a place that regained its freedom, President Ilham Aliyev showed the world that Shusha is a city where peace, dialogue, and human values thrive. This city, built by the Azerbaijani people on their historical lands, has been formed over centuries as a center of science, culture, art, and spirituality. Today, Shusha continues that historical mission in line with new challenges, bringing together ideas and perspectives from different countries on the same platform, and serving international dialogue, mutual understanding, and the strengthening of cooperation. In this regard, the Shusha Global Media Forum, which has become a tradition, contributes to the promotion of supreme values such as humanism by bringing together diverse perspectives on the same platform with messages of justice, peace, and mutual understanding.
This time, the forum, dedicated to the theme “Media’s Mission in Promoting Peace: Restoring Truth and Rebuilding Trust,” once again became a meeting place for influential media representatives, officials, representatives of international organizations, experts, and renowned specialists in the field of communication from various countries around the world. Undoubtedly, the media’s mission in promoting peace is indispensable. The restoration of truth and the rebuilding of trust should be one of the main activities of objective, responsible, and professional media. It is no coincidence that this topical problem of the modern world, which faces hybrid threats and conflicts, was discussed extensively in Shusha. The ideas voiced by President Ilham Aliyev during the forum and his detailed answers to the participants’ questions once again drew the attention of the world community to Shusha. The head of state’s messages resonated widely on the global agenda and were met with special interest by the international community.
Speaking at the forum, President Ilham Aliyev touched upon the main principles of Azerbaijan’s state policy and stated that the policy pursued by our country is always aimed at strengthening sound cooperation, reinforcing an environment of trust in the region, and resolving issues of concern to neighboring states through mutual dialogue. The head of state emphasized that, as a continuation of this, efforts are being made at the Global Media Forum held in Shusha to form an environment of sincere dialogue, mutual trust, and constructive cooperation. The gathering of media representatives and international participants from different countries on the same platform serves this purpose. Analyzing the real political landscape of the world, the head of our state stated that the national unity existing in Azerbaijan is unshakable and noted that such an example of solidarity can be found in very few countries in the world. In his speech, President Ilham Aliyev spoke about Azerbaijan’s political and economic relations with the international world, as well as the consistent policy serving the development of regional cooperation. In particular, touching upon the prospects of relations with the United States, the head of state noted that cooperation based on mutual interests is of great importance for both countries.
For many years, the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the international community’s turning a blind eye to this injustice is not an event of the distant past. The military aggression against our country continued as a result of the provocations of the Armenian armed forces, which grossly violated the norms and principles of international law. Thanks to the decisive leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and the bravery of the Azerbaijan Army, Karabakh was liberated from occupation, and historical justice was restored. Thus, Azerbaijan presented an example to the world in the direction of restoring truth and rebuilding trust, formed new political realities in the region, and created a solid foundation for lasting peace and cooperation. This clearly demonstrated that a decisive policy based on international law, strong leadership, and national unity serves the establishment of justice, the strengthening of trust, and the building of a stable future. It is precisely for this reason that holding the 4th Global Media Forum in Shusha turned into an open discussion of the new geopolitical realities formed by Azerbaijan in the international information space. The ideas voiced from Shusha showed that information manipulations aimed at hiding the truth are not long-lasting, and trust stems from relations based on justice, transparent dialogue, and mutual respect. The forum created an important opportunity for media representatives from different countries to see the new realities created by Azerbaijan in the post-conflict period on the spot, to evaluate them objectively, and to convey them to the international audience.
Shusha, witnessing the historical process extending from occupation and the restoration of truth to global media dialogue, demonstrated to the world today under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev that peace, justice, and reliable cooperation are possible. Just as Azerbaijan has managed to do it!
Rəşad Mahmudov,
YAP İdarə Heyətinin üzvü,
Milli Məclisin deputatı