Qatar's well known Al Jazeera correspondent Sinem Koseoglu visited her Azerbaijani colleagues at the International Eurasia Press Fund.
Noting that the main purpose of the Al Jazeera team's visit to Azerbaijan is to broadcast live on the recent events in the Karabakh region and the situation created as a result of provocations committed by Armenians in the region. The journalist colleagues have also visited the liberated territories to witness the construction work in the region after the Great Patriotic War.
Speaking to EDNews.net, Koseoglu shared her impressions of her trips in Azerbaijan.
“I first came to Azerbaijan in 2012 to shoot a documentary as part of a small team. At that time, I was working for TRT. The city was preparing for Eurovision. Landscaping work was being done all over Baku. At that time, I was very impressed by the view of the capital. Because the architecture of the cities I visit is also important to me. As a journalist, we conducted many interviews and filmed. At that time, I wanted to return to Baku again.
Time passed and my return to Azerbaijan last year coincided with the Karabakh war. When the Armenians attacked the Tovuz region in the summer of 2020, as a news centre, I warned the management that serious military shoot-outs were taking place in this strategic places, and there could be serious clashes. We have published articles about it. We came here within 24 hours when the first clashes began. I was the first foreign media representative to come here when the war broke out. As Al Jazeera, we followed the process closely. As a Turkish journalist, I was sent because I knew the language of the country and knew the country well. At that time, we witnessed important incident. We were on the line of contact, in the hot spots. A shell dropped on the road. The first rocket attack in Ganja is a day I will never forget. Then we went to Yevlakh to shoot the happenings. We were broadcasting live. It was reported that there have been two rocket attacks so far. We went to the scene. We saw people looking for family members, relatives, crying. After us, other foreign media outlets covered what were happening there.
At that time, I interviewed President Ilham Aliyev. For the first time after a long break, the President of Azerbaijan gave us an extensive interview.
Sinem Koseoglu also expressed her views on mine safety, which is currently the biggest problem in the liberated territories.
"It's very sad to see people lay landmines," she said. While in Karabakh, mine warning signs can be found on the right and left sides of the road.
My cameraman friend and I were discussing when those mines would be cleared. On the one hand, you are trying to live a life there, but on the other hand, there are dangers that can take your life at any moment. According to officials, the available mine maps are inaccurate and this problem will continue to plague Azerbaijan. But this is not acceptable at all. Mine is a trap. As a person of the world, I cannot accept the mine as a reality. Azerbaijan needs the support of international organisations to clear those mines as soon as possible. Because we are talking about a massive area. The Armenian leadership must hand over all mine maps to Azerbaijan. This step must be taken to make it a safe place for everyone.
Hopefully, we will compare Shusha and Karabakh between 30 years ago and 30 years later, and soon we will tell the world the truth about Azerbaijan again! 30 years ago, the world did not stand by Azerbaijan, leaving it alone. Now the country with energy resources is re-strengthening, Azerbaijan has a state and a person with access to the international community. Everything will definitely be different! ”
Gulnar Salimova
.JPG)
