SHUSHA, Azerbaijan - The second Shusha Global Media Forum, under the theme “Unmasking False Narratives: Confronting Disinformation,” is currently underway in the picturesque, mountainous locale of Shusha in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region. The choice of Shusha as the venue is steeped in symbolism and reflects Azerbaijan’s ambition to assert itself as a leading player in global discourse and international diplomacy. Azerbaijan will be in the global spotlight in November as it hosts the 29th session of the Conference of Parties (COP29).
“We treat our chairmanship in COP29 not only as an opportunity to showcase ourselves and present our country,” President Ilham Aliyev said during a speech in Baku, the country’s capital, earlier this year. “COP29 is a sign of great respect and support to Azerbaijan from the international community. We want COP29 to be successful in tackling the issues of climate change.
At the same time, it’s an opportunity to tell our story.” Azerbaijan is keen to present its side of the story. When the participants of the forum travelled from Fuzuli airport to Shusha on Saturday, the hosts pointed to new construction, housing complexes, and schools as the Azeri population returns to the Karabakh region, once the scene of intense military conflict and hostilities with Armenia.
The media forum’s venue, the Shusha Hotel, also once lay in ruins — a casualty of years of neglect during Russian and Armenian control. Today, it stands trans.