Reporters without Borders call President of Azerbaijan not to stop western radio stations

The international organization in defence of media called "Reporters without Borders" (RwB) has called President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev to give up his intention to ban broadcasting of foreign radio stations in national frequencies.

In its appeal addressed to President of Azerbaijan, the organization calls him to interfere with the situation after the "shocking" statement of Nushiravan Magerramli, head of the National Television and Radio Board, about the plans to ban, not later than 2009, broadcasting of three foreign radio stations - BBC, Liberty and Voice of America in local frequencies.

The letter of the RwB, which is at disposal of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, runs that these radio stations are disseminating "high-quality, objective and all-round news items" and bring "fundamental contribution to the pluralism, which exists nowhere else in the Azerbaijani press."

The popularity of the above radio stations and, first of all, of the Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty is a confirmation, the letter notes. This sort of step cannot be regarded otherwise as "the desire to take the media environment under control and a political failure," the letter notes. In any case, "these radio stations will not disappear and continue broadcasting in short waves, like it was in Soviet time."

Earlier, the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) expressed its categorical discontent with the intentions of Azerbaijani government to stop broadcasting of international broadcasters, including radio stations Free Europe/Liberty and Voice of America.

"Only national TV and radio companies shall broadcast in national frequencies, this is our policy," said Nushiravan Magerramli, Chairman of National Television and Radio Board (NTRB), in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, making comments on the Board's position on the issue.

As he said, the NTRB is persistent in pursuing this policy stage by stage during recent years. Thus, initially they stopped broadcasting of Russian and Turkish TV channels, then - of radio stations of these countries. Further, they suspended a French radio station. In the future, they suppose to reconsider the intergovernmental agreement on broadcasting in Azerbaijan of the First State TV Channel of Turkey - TRT1.

On November 3, the "Musavat" Party made a statement condemning the plans of the government of Azerbaijan to stop, starting 2009, the broadcasting of the Liberty, Voice of America and BBC in national frequencies.

"The authorities of Azerbaijan are going to undertake an unprecedented step in curbing the freedom of speech and press," runs the "Musavat" statement, which has arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the same time, the Party calls the international community to show, at last, its principle stand in relation to the authoritarianism and totalitarianism, which are strengthening every day in Azerbaijan.