Milli Majlis commission issues statement on hybrid attacks against Azerbaijan

The temporary commission of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) on combating foreign interference and hybrid threats has released a statement regarding hybrid attacks against Azerbaijan, Report informs.

According to the statement, Azerbaijan's emergence as a middle power under the wise leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, its resolute foreign policy, its growing international prestige year by year, its contribution to international energy security, the country's strategic importance in regional transit corridors, as well as its domestic political and economic stability, have significantly increased the scale of hybrid attacks against Azerbaijan by foreign actors.

It was noted that against the backdrop of ongoing war and tension in the region, Azerbaijan - characterized as an island of stability - has recently been subjected to religious-ideological provocations, coordinated information operations, and cyberattacks.

"Under the pretext of various freedoms, the multi-century national-spiritual and multicultural values of our people, as well as religious beliefs, are targeted, while through destructive activities, ideologies alien to society are presented to people as the right path in order to undermine the very concept of truth in society. In the course of an investigation conducted jointly with relevant state authorities, it was established that influence operations aimed at manipulating public opinion, increasing polarization in society, and eroding trust in state institutions, as well as cyberattacks and terrorist provocations, are carried out by agents of influence and covert organizations domestically and abroad, and in the digital space by hacker groups, foreign media, real and fake accounts, and bots," the statement says.

The commission stated that forces operating on the territory of friendly and neighboring countries are spreading disinformation through digital platforms and attempting to create ethnic, religious, and political fault lines in Azerbaijani society.

According to the statement, algorithmically driven posts, "echo chambers," and "filter bubbles" are used to manipulate public opinion, contributing to the spread of false and harmful information among target audiences.

The commission emphasized that despite the scale of these actions, Azerbaijani society did not yield to provocations and supported state measures.

"The Temporary Commission of the Milli Majlis on Combating Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats, relevant committees and structural units of the Apparatus, as well as state bodies are successfully countering these hybrid attacks and will not leave any such actions unanswered in the future," the statement says.

The commission also expressed gratitude to the citizens of friendly and neighboring countries for their objective stance regarding anti-Azerbaijani activities.