Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States adopted a Statement on ensuring safe conditions for the professional activities of journalists and preventing infringement of their rights. The Council of Foreign Ministers meeting took place on 12 April in Minsk.

The document notes that the right to freedom of opinion, expression and access to open information are the most important components of modern society, guaranteed by fundamental international documents in the field of human rights. In this regard, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs speak out in defense of the rights of the media and for ensuring their pluralism, and note the inadmissibility of the use of unfounded bans on journalists carrying out their professional activities.

The foreign ministers of the Commonwealth countries consider acts of violence and threats of force against media representatives unacceptable and call for a fair and impartial investigation of crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice. The document calls on all interested partners to join forces to achieve the goal of increasing the level of safety of journalists, as well as protecting the right of every citizen to reliable information.

The Statement focuses on the formation of a unifying positive agenda in the information environment, preventing the dissemination of news that provokes ethnic and religious strife, creating and ensuring safe and favorable conditions for journalists and media workers doing their work.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the CIS states intend to promote the development of cooperation to protect journalists from harassment on the Internet, including from illegal actions that prevent journalists from carrying out their legitimate professional activities, as well as the regular exchange of best practices and experiences in the field of ensuring the safety of journalists and Media, including in relation to new challenges associated with the development of information and communication technologies.