The Azerbaijani diaspora’s activities against the background of modern communications and digital diplomacy

Speed, public participation, and transparency are essential for modern communications and digital diplomacy. Today, the rapid expansion of digitalization worldwide, the development of information technologies, and the growing influence of social media and digital platforms are giving diaspora activities new content and form.

Collaborative content

The State Committee on Work with Diaspora currently collaborates with our compatriots in more than 70 countries, uniting over 500 diaspora organizations. Diaspora organizations which serve to protect national interests in line with the foreign policy priorities of the Azerbaijani state are now uniting on digital platforms, leveraging opportunities to more quickly disseminate information, organizing events, and establishing direct contact with international audiences.

On important national holidays, online campaigns are organized on various digital platforms, operational measures are being developed to counter disinformation, our historical truths, national and cultural values ​​are widely promoted, and systematic communication with foreign experts and politicians is being established.

Online conferences and webinars organized by diaspora organizations and diaspora members on digital platforms and social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) enable the rapid dissemination of information and a timely and powerful impact on international public opinion.

Recall one fact: during the 2020 Patriotic War, Azerbaijani communities abroad actively united on digital platforms, organized petitions and campaigns, established good relations with foreign parliamentarians and experts, conducted public diplomacy through virtual events, and sought to shape a balanced position in international media. In this process, our compatriots paid special attention to choosing the right target audience and using a language appropriate for each segment of the population.

Today, a number of projects supported by the State Committee on Work with Diaspora connect our compatriots to unified platforms and centralize important information. Guided by President Ilham Aliyev’s recommendations regarding knowledge of the native language of Azerbaijanis worldwide, our compatriots living abroad especially representatives of the third and fourth generations of the diaspora, are uniting on the online educational platform “Milli Dilli” to study their native language.

This platform, which connects Azerbaijani students and teachers abroad further expands the possibilities of distance learning using modern communication tools and turns our compatriots into users of a global network where linguistic knowledge is gathered.

Furthermore, the “Karabakh” online weekend schools, established at the initiative of First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and operating abroad, also provide conditions for hundreds of Azerbaijani children and youth, as well as foreigners, to study the Azerbaijani language using modern communication tools and centralize language knowledge.

Let’s also note another fact. As part of the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign, dedicated to the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, diaspora organizations abroad, Azerbaijani houses, coordination councils, weekend schools, and individual diaspora representatives held more than 80 events in 71 cities in 34 countries and informed the international community using modern communication tools.

Our compatriots are organizing the preparation of books, documentaries, and articles about Azerbaijan in foreign languages conducting important work to expand their influence on public opinion abroad and actively participating in the development of an evidence base grounded on international legal norms on digital platforms.

Guided by key priorities in the areas of systematic coordination, professionalism, and the use of modern digital communication tools, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora is also paying special attention to the more effective functioning of the recently created “Central Portal of Diaspora Organizations” (http://www.diaspor.org). The goal is to provide free information and communication support to diaspora organizations of Azerbaijanis living abroad, as well as Azerbaijan Houses and Coordination Councils, to strengthen their activities on electronic and social media.

The portal supports the integration of hundreds of websites and enables diaspora organizations, Azerbaijan Houses and Coordination Councils to quickly and centrally create websites at no additional cost. We would like to add that the portal’s information system has been completely transferred to the “Government Cloud”.

All this suggests that today’s diaspora organizations are using digital diplomacy as a public diplomacy tool capable of responding to all challenges and overcoming risks. Digital campaigns, online petitions, and virtual events organized across various social media channels further expand their reach to a global audience. A strategic and professional approach to communicating facts and events ensures broader and more effective dissemination of diaspora messages, centralizes information, strengthens the organization, and enables a rapid response to information requests.

In response to modern challenges, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora’s “Roadmap” includes improving digital literacy among our communities abroad and developing a unified communications strategy, media analysis, artificial intelligence-based information monitoring, and the creation of digital lobbying platforms. The foundation of the Committee’s long-term strategic plan is the creation of a unified diaspora network and joint digital information platforms, as well as the results-oriented nature of diaspora activities. These activities can be seen as an integral part of Azerbaijan’s “soft power” policy.

In conclusion, our diaspora is shifting from a traditional model of activity to a model of digital diplomacy. Digital diplomacy, viewed as the process of influencing international relations through the internet and social media, makes the activities of Azerbaijani communities abroad more flexible, effective, and efficient, and ensures the long-term sustainability of the diaspora.

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