Published on: 2026-07-16
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Baku, July 16 /Xinhua/ — From July 13 to 14, the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum was held in the Azerbaijani city of Shusha, during which participants discussed the role of mass media in peacebuilding, their responsibility for shaping narratives, and the effectiveness of coordinated countermeasures against disinformation.
Speaking at a media forum, the assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev, stated that currently the preservation of peace depends not only on diplomacy but also on responsible communication; conflicts are fought not only on the battlefield but also in the information space.
According to him, the responsibility of the media for countering distortions of facts, rejecting hate speech, and protecting the truth is growing. Governments, media organizations, technology companies, the academic community, and civil society share a collective responsibility to shape an information environment based on reliability, transparency, and accountability.
As pointed out during the panel discussion by Kanat Iskakov, the First Vice Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, disinformation and fake news are used not only to manipulate public opinion but also to incite interethnic conflicts and hatred within the country, which creates a serious threat to social stability.
He called on all states to make joint efforts to combat disinformation, to jointly develop effective cooperation mechanisms, to foster close collaboration with major online platforms, to increase journalists’ accountability, and to help citizens critically evaluate information and recognize fakes.
Zhang Lin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, noted during a panel discussion that amid global turbulence and numerous challenges facing the international community, the media play an increasingly important role in shaping the global agenda, facilitating international exchanges and dialogue.
As she emphasized, lasting peace and sustainable security are based on mutual understanding between peoples, and international media are called upon to play their important role by providing objective, professional, and responsible coverage of events. According to her, by telling about shared values, interests, and concerns, as well as everyday contacts between people, the media can strengthen mutual understanding and bring peoples closer together.
The media forum was held under the motto “The Mission of Media in Promoting Peace: Restoring Truth and Reviving Trust.” About 160 representatives from 53 countries participated in the forum’s events.
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