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| EU warns Azerbaijan |
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Thursday, January 01, 2009
BRUSSELS: The European Commission warned Azerbaijan on Wednesday that its planned ban of local-language broadcasts by the BBC, Voice of America and Radio Liberty could hit plans for deeper ties.
“The decision by the Azerbaijani National TV and Radio Council not to renew the broadcasting licences of several foreign broadcasters, including the BBC, Radio Liberty and the Voice of America, is a matter of serious concern,” EU Commissioner for External relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.
“If implemented, this decision would deprive a great number of listeners of valuable and independent sources of information as of 1 January 2009,” she added.
Azerbaijan has come under fire from international rights groups and Western governments for limiting media freedom and jailing local journalists.
Critics say foreign-funded news broadcasts are among the only sources of independent information in the oil-rich Caspian Sea nation.
Nushirvan Magerramli, chairman of the country’s State Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting assured on Tuesday that the decision not to renew the media licences “has nothing to do with politics. Nobody raised concerns when we stopped Russian, Turkish and French television and radio broadcasts in Azerbaijan.”
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ISSN 1563-9479 
