The 12th International Communication Days was held in Baku, Azerbaijan
After being hosted by Üsküdar University for the past 11 years, the Communication Days were held this year in Azerbaijan in cooperation with Baku State University. The 12th International Communication Days took place under the theme “Media and Communication Studies in the Digital Age”, featuring 285 paper presentations in 51 sessions by academics from 95 universities. The three-day scientific program emphasized academic cooperation between the two countries and explored the multifaceted impacts of digitalization in media and communication.
The opening ceremony of the symposium was held in the Assembly Hall of Baku State University.
Opening speeches were delivered by Rector of Baku State University Prof. Elchin Babayev, Rector of Üsküdar University Prof. Nazife Güngör, Director of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan Əhməd Ismayılov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council Rəşad Məcid, and faculty members from Baku State University including Rövşan Məmmədov, Cahangir Məmmədli, Qulu Məhərrəmli, and Vüqar Rəhimzadə, along with Mir Şahin Aghayev from Real TV and Naziq Məmmədli from the Azerbaijan Media Development Agency.
The symposium was attended by Chair of the Journalism Department Prof. Süleyman İrvan, Head of the New Media and Communication (Turkish) Department Prof. Gül Esra Atalay, Head of the New Media and Communication (English) Department Assoc. Prof. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan, Head of the Public Relations Department Assoc. Prof. Özge Uğurlu, as well as other faculty members from the Faculty of Communication at Üsküdar University.
Prof. Nazife Güngör: “What truly matters is academic collaboration and knowledge production”
Rector of Üsküdar University Prof. Nazife Güngör emphasized the great significance of the symposium in terms of academic collaboration between the two countries. She noted that the cooperation protocol signed with Baku State University was not just a formality on paper but was actively supported by joint initiatives. Güngör shared that the symposium was attended by approximately 300 academics both in person and online.
Highlighting that knowledge production is the fundamental element that determines a country’s strength, Güngör pointed to the similarities in the independence struggles of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, stating that the shared memory of the two brother nations resonated throughout the symposium. She stressed the need to update education programs in the field of media and communication in line with technological advancements and emphasized the importance of strengthening the bond between academics and journalists.
Prof. Elchin Babayev: “Media development is one of the state's top priorities”
In his opening speech, Rector of Baku State University Prof. Elchin Babayev described the coincidence of Azerbaijan’s Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty and the 150th anniversary of the national press as “historically significant.” Babayev emphasized the role of national media in the struggle for independence and stated that the newspaper “Ekinci”, published by Hasan Bey Zardabi in 1875, played a pioneering role in societal enlightenment and intellectual development.
Babayev noted that the abolition of censorship in 1998 marked the beginning of a new era for press freedom, drawing attention to the vision of national leader Heydar Aliyev regarding media freedom. He referred to President Ilham Aliyev’s media policies and underlined the state’s comprehensive support for media development. He also highlighted the strategic role of the media in disseminating accurate information during the 44-day Patriotic War, reminding journalists of their responsibility in this regard. Babayev further outlined the responsibilities undertaken by Baku State University to enhance the quality of media education.
285 Papers were presented in 51 sessions
A total of 285 papers were presented in 51 sessions, 19 of which were held in-person and 32 of which were conducted online, at the Symposium on Media and Communication Studies in the Digital Age.
The presentations were delivered in Turkish, Azerbaijani Turkish, and English. While in-person sessions took place in Baku State University’s halls, online sessions were also organized concurrently.
The digitalized communication world was examined from multiple perspectives
With its theme “Media and Communication Studies in the Digital Age”, the symposium brought together scholars from Türkiye and various other countries for three days, during which the digitalized communication landscape was discussed from a broad range of perspectives. A total of 285 papers were presented by academics from 95 national and international universities.
Academics from various universities in Türkiye and Azerbaijan also participated
The session held in Auditorium 511 of the No. 2 Educational Building at Baku State University was attended by Rector of Üsküdar University Prof. Nazife Güngör, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism at Baku State University Vugar Aliyev, Prof. Aysel Aziz from Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University, Prof. Nilüfer Timisi from Istanbul University, Head of the New Media and Communication (Turkish) Department at Üsküdar University Prof. Gül Esra Atalay, Head of the New Media and Communication (English) Department Assoc. Prof. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan, Head of the Public Relations Department Assoc. Prof. Özge Uğurlu, along with faculty members and students from Baku State University.
The closing session of the symposium also saw participation from academics representing various universities in Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
Prof. Nazife Güngör: “We experienced this comprehensive scientific event together”
Before presenting the certificates, Rector of Üsküdar University Prof. Nazife Güngör delivered a speech and made the following remarks: “We have experienced this very comprehensive scientific event together. During all the sessions held over the past three days, I saw smiles, grins, and laughter on everyone’s faces. Therefore, I believe that all our academics from Türkiye are leaving Baku and Baku State University with great satisfaction. Once again, I would like to thank all our esteemed colleagues who contributed to this process from the very beginning.”
Certificates were presented
During the session, Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör, Prof. Aysel Aziz from Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University, and Dean of the Faculty of Journalism at Baku State University Vugar Aliyev presented certificates to the participants.
The IFIG Symposium received wide coverage in Azerbaijani Media
The 12th International Communication Days / “Media and Communication Studies in the Digital Age” Symposium, organized in cooperation between Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication and Baku State University, received extensive coverage in the Azerbaijani media. The event was prominently featured in both print media and digital news platforms.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)