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ANS TV, Azerbaijan
Oct 7 2011
Azeri media lukewarm on Sarkozy visit
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's brief visit to Azerbaijan on
October 7 passed with relatively little fanfare in local media.
State-run TV provided detailed factual coverage while private
pro-government stations were dismissive and even derisive in light of
the pro-Armenian tendencies Sarkozy was perceived to have demonstrated
during his visit to Yerevan the day before. Coverage in other media
outlets similarly ranged from factual to mildly negative.
Television
State-run AZTV1 provided the most detailed coverage of the visit. The
tone was neutral and there was no mention of Sarkozy's trip to Yerevan
and expressions of support for Armenian interests. The channel showed
the official welcoming ceremony outside the Azerbaijani president's
residence, and Sarkozy greeting President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady
Mehriban Aliyeva.
In its evening bulletin at 1500 gmt, AZTV showed Sarkozy bestowing the
Order of the French Legion of Honour Officer on the first lady. The
two then broke ground on construction of a French school in Baku.
Private pro-government ANS TV covered the French president's arrival
with still pictures of his meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister
Yaqub Eyyubov and other officials in its 1000 gmt bulletin. It said
Sarkozy's statement in Yerevan that Turkey should recognize what ANS
called "the so-called Armenian genocide" provoked negative reactions
in Baku.
Another report on ANS at 1300 gmt emphasized the friendship between
Armenia and France and showed several analysts criticizing Sarkozy.
The head of the Karabakh Liberty Party was shown saying it was
unacceptable for the head of state of an OSCE Minsk Group country to
have such clear pro-Armenian sympathies.
ANS also showed Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's rebuttal to
Sarkozy's remarks on the Armenian "genocide".
Private pro-government Lider TV was aslo negative on the visit,
remarking in its 1100 gmt bulletin that Sarkozy "demonstrated special
admiration for the Armenians' invented history" by visiting the
memorial to the "so-called genocide" during his visit to Yerevan.
Public-funded ITV, however, approached the Armenia visit from a
different angle. In a report in its 1200 gmt bulletin on Sarkozy's
visit to Baku, ITV's presenter said that Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan had "practically begged" Sarkozy to go after Turkey on the
genocide issue and that Sarkozy let down Armenian expectations by
refusing to criticize Azerbaijan over the Karabakh issue.
Agencies
Mediaforum.az website carried a factual report at 1003 gmt on
Sarzkoy's visit which said development of bilateral relations between
the two countries had been discussed in the one-to-one meeting between
the presidents. The agency added that Sarkozy also met Azerbaijan's
first lady.
Private Turan news agency carried a similar report at 1049 gmt but at
1404 gmt, after Sarkozy's departure, remarked that French president's
trip was "the shortest visit ever made to Azerbaijan".
Newspapers
Azerbaijani newspapers published the day of Sarkozy's visit approached
the visit from several angles.
Baki Xabar said the French president's visit was an effort to score
political dividends at home ahead of the 2012 presidential elections,
given the large Armenian community in France and France's role in the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
Russian-language Ekho newspaper made a similar assertion and the
opposition Musavat newspaper said the reason he started his South
Caucasus tour with Armenia was his desire to curry favour with the
Armenian diaspora in France.
Ekspress daily noted France's interest in developing Azerbaijan's
hydrocarbon reserves and Sarkozy's efforts to further the
Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process.
[translated from Azeri]
From: A. Papazian
Oct 7 2011
Azeri media lukewarm on Sarkozy visit
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's brief visit to Azerbaijan on
October 7 passed with relatively little fanfare in local media.
State-run TV provided detailed factual coverage while private
pro-government stations were dismissive and even derisive in light of
the pro-Armenian tendencies Sarkozy was perceived to have demonstrated
during his visit to Yerevan the day before. Coverage in other media
outlets similarly ranged from factual to mildly negative.
Television
State-run AZTV1 provided the most detailed coverage of the visit. The
tone was neutral and there was no mention of Sarkozy's trip to Yerevan
and expressions of support for Armenian interests. The channel showed
the official welcoming ceremony outside the Azerbaijani president's
residence, and Sarkozy greeting President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady
Mehriban Aliyeva.
In its evening bulletin at 1500 gmt, AZTV showed Sarkozy bestowing the
Order of the French Legion of Honour Officer on the first lady. The
two then broke ground on construction of a French school in Baku.
Private pro-government ANS TV covered the French president's arrival
with still pictures of his meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister
Yaqub Eyyubov and other officials in its 1000 gmt bulletin. It said
Sarkozy's statement in Yerevan that Turkey should recognize what ANS
called "the so-called Armenian genocide" provoked negative reactions
in Baku.
Another report on ANS at 1300 gmt emphasized the friendship between
Armenia and France and showed several analysts criticizing Sarkozy.
The head of the Karabakh Liberty Party was shown saying it was
unacceptable for the head of state of an OSCE Minsk Group country to
have such clear pro-Armenian sympathies.
ANS also showed Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's rebuttal to
Sarkozy's remarks on the Armenian "genocide".
Private pro-government Lider TV was aslo negative on the visit,
remarking in its 1100 gmt bulletin that Sarkozy "demonstrated special
admiration for the Armenians' invented history" by visiting the
memorial to the "so-called genocide" during his visit to Yerevan.
Public-funded ITV, however, approached the Armenia visit from a
different angle. In a report in its 1200 gmt bulletin on Sarkozy's
visit to Baku, ITV's presenter said that Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan had "practically begged" Sarkozy to go after Turkey on the
genocide issue and that Sarkozy let down Armenian expectations by
refusing to criticize Azerbaijan over the Karabakh issue.
Agencies
Mediaforum.az website carried a factual report at 1003 gmt on
Sarzkoy's visit which said development of bilateral relations between
the two countries had been discussed in the one-to-one meeting between
the presidents. The agency added that Sarkozy also met Azerbaijan's
first lady.
Private Turan news agency carried a similar report at 1049 gmt but at
1404 gmt, after Sarkozy's departure, remarked that French president's
trip was "the shortest visit ever made to Azerbaijan".
Newspapers
Azerbaijani newspapers published the day of Sarkozy's visit approached
the visit from several angles.
Baki Xabar said the French president's visit was an effort to score
political dividends at home ahead of the 2012 presidential elections,
given the large Armenian community in France and France's role in the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
Russian-language Ekho newspaper made a similar assertion and the
opposition Musavat newspaper said the reason he started his South
Caucasus tour with Armenia was his desire to curry favour with the
Armenian diaspora in France.
Ekspress daily noted France's interest in developing Azerbaijan's
hydrocarbon reserves and Sarkozy's efforts to further the
Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process.
[translated from Azeri]
From: A. Papazian