The opening of a EuroNews office in Baku amid repression against journalists has raised questions about the channel's policies.

The opening of EuroNews' office in Baku, amid the persecution of independent media and journalists in Azerbaijan and the exclusion of foreign media, demonstrates the channel's pro-government policy.

The European news channel Euronews has opened an office in Baku and begun working to develop media and journalism in the country. Independent Azerbaijani journalists view this as a continuation of the government's policy of suppressing independent media. According to the JamNews article, Euronews opens office in Baku: local journalists believe that the authorities do not see this media "Threats"".

Fernando Soares, head of the Euronews Baku office, stated that the network's goal is not limited to promoting Azerbaijan's tourism and business opportunities to an international audience. He also intends to collaborate with the national media sector and organize training for journalists. Pro-regime media outlets note that the opening of the Euronews Academy journalism training program in Baku is part of the office's activities.

Amid ongoing repression against independent media outlets such as AbzasMedia, Toplum TV, Meclis.info, and Meydan TV, the opening of the European channel Euronews in Azerbaijan has been met with mixed reactions by the country's independent journalistic community, the publication emphasizes.

Mikroskop Media co-founder and exiled journalist Fatima Karimli believes that due to the widespread campaign against journalists, independent journalists remaining in the country cannot work as before.

"Not only local media are under pressure, but also foreign media, whose Baku offices are periodically subjected to various forms of pressure. Journalists collaborating with such media are either persecuted, or the authorities demand that the number of employees in these offices be reduced. In Pro-government media have repeatedly published materials portraying the Baku offices of foreign media outlets as a threat. In this situation, the opening of a Euronews office in Baku means that the authorities do not see this media outlet as a threat," she emphasized.

The journalist noted that Euronews previously collaborated with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture, and materials about Azerbaijan published by this media outlet received high marks from official Baku. "The Azerbaijani authorities want to control coverage of any topic within the country in both local and foreign media. Restricting media activities completely or partially, arresting journalists, and creating conditions for media outlets "convenient" for the authorities to open offices in Baku are all part of the same process," Karimli believes.

Euronews training will produce people who view events through rose-colored glasses and reject the words of independent journalists, says Aitan Farkhadova, an independent journalist living abroad and a contributor to OC Media. They will write that "non-oil sector revenues have increased," but will not address the issues behind such headlines. They will not explain how the consumer basket is determined, what the minimum wage and pension are, whether people can survive for a month on these amounts, and so on.  In short, they will train journalists whose job it is to create an illusion, and these people will oppose us, independent journalists. In a country where anti-democratic practices reign and where censorship has reached its peak, talking about freedom of speech and free journalism is pointless. "Azerbaijan is already threatening to investigate even those who live abroad and engage only in criticism, without any political ambitions," she emphasized.

A journalist living in Azerbaijan, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that "allowing some European media organization to 'teach independent journalism' in a country where those who truly worked professionally are imprisoned for this is hypocritical." "If the state were thinking about the future of independent journalism, it would not imprison professionals who do this," he emphasized.

During his time at Bild, Strunz wrote materials against migrants, is known as a supporter of Israel, and is even accused of business ties to Hungary's right-wing leader, Viktor Orban. According to Politico, Orban wields significant influence over the channel. Furthermore, journalistic investigations have revealed that the channel's main owner, Alpac Capital, has business and close ties to the Hungarian leader. In recent years, the channel has produced video reports praising Azerbaijan's natural environment, its oil revenues, and its economic situation.