BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. The first meeting of the Board of Directors of Azerbaijan's Press Council for 2026 was held today, the council's statement says, Trend reports.
Opening the meeting with a welcome speech, the Press Council Chairman Rashad Majid said that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev emphasized the importance of protecting the Azerbaijani language in his speech during the meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan on November 3 last year.
Majid reminded that his organization, together with the Media Development Agency, held a conference on November 7 last year on the topic of "Correct application of the norms of the Azerbaijani literary language in the media". According to the chairman, the agency has prepared a summary of this conference, which not only holds significance for the call to protect the Azerbaijani language but also provides a systematic perspective on the parameters of the work to be done.
He also mentioned that during the last meeting of the Board of Directors in 2025, the issues raised by President Ilham Aliyev were discussed. As a result, the composition of the Press Council's Language Commission was restructured. The chairperson of the commission was appointed as Vusala Mahirgizi, a member of the Board of Directors and the head of APA Holding. Other members representing the Press Council include Aflatun Amashov, the editor-in-chief of Khalq Newspaper, Professor Gulu Maharramli from Baku State University, Akif Ashirli, the editor-in-chief of Sharq Newspaper, Elshan Aliyev, a member of the Council's Monitoring and Inspection Commission and editor-in-chief of "Vatan Sasi Newspaper", Tahir Aydinoghlu, the head of the Press Council’s Council of Senior Journalists and deputy editor-in-chief of Khalq Newspaper, and Seyfaddin Hüseynli, the deputy editor-in-chief of 525-ci Newspaper.
Majid also pointed out that on January 5, President Ilham Aliyev gave an extensive interview to local television channels, further emphasizing the importance of protecting the Azerbaijani language. The head of state described the language as one of the main attributes of statehood, even placing it along with the flag, coat of arms, and anthem, and noted that the long-term hardships endured by the nation have had negative impacts and consequences on the mindset. It's crucial to eliminate these negative effects.
The council chairman highlighted that the Press Council’s Language Commission would hold an expanded meeting today to discuss President Ilham Aliyev's statements in more detail and to determine specific areas of action. Before this, the Board of Directors would review the representation of several experts in the Language Commission. Majid announced the names of the candidates, and after the discussions, the membership of Professor Tofig Hajiyev (Tofig Muzaffaroghlu), the head of the Department of Modern Azerbaijani Language at Baku State University's Faculty of Philology, Associate Professor Rasim Heydarov, the head of the Education Department at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics at the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS), the renowned TV presenter and honored artist Nargiz Jalilova, and Vasala Mammadova, a presenter at ITV TV channel, was confirmed in the commission. Additionally, Nadir Yalchin, an editor at the APA Information Agency, was elected as the secretary of the commission. Thus, the Language Commission of the Press Council was formed with 12 members, including the Chairperson Vusala Mahirgizi, Vice Chairperson Seyfaddin Huseynli, and Secretary Nadir Yalchin.
