Statement from Azerbaijan regarding the former German intelligence chief

In the statement made by the Council, it was stated that the information spread by some foreign media organizations mentioning Azerbaijan within the scope of the investigation carried out against Hanning was disinformation and formed a part of the smear campaign that has been carried out intensively against Azerbaijan recently.

In the statement, it was emphasized that the allegations first published in Germany's "Der Spiegel" magazine, and later published in Reuters, AFP, France 24, The Times, The Telegraph and other international media organizations, linking Azerbaijan to the investigation in question, were unfounded.

In the statement, it was stated that the presentation of unfounded allegations linking Azerbaijan with the investigation to the masses as if they were real raises serious concerns, and it was stated that circulating such news without relying on an official source is an unacceptable manipulation of information.

In the statement, it was claimed that the purpose of the disinformation campaign was to damage Azerbaijan-Germany relations, which have been developing more recently.

The Council stated that it "strongly condemns" disinformation campaigns aimed at unfairly presenting Azerbaijan in a negative context in the international information environment, and called on international media organizations to scrupulously comply with the basic principles of professional journalism, such as accuracy, impartiality, attribution to reliable sources and verification of information.

It was claimed in some international media outlets that former BND Chairman Hanning was in contact with an Azerbaijani intelligence officer and prepared analysis for Azerbaijani intelligence.