Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ST. PETERSBURG, June 19 (Xinhua) — The 19th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) opened in St. Petersburg on Thursday. During the two-day event, representatives of news agencies from the Asia-Pacific region (APR) will hold in-depth discussions on how news agencies can respond to global changes and technological challenges.
“Today, objective, timely information is in high demand for strengthening trust and mutual understanding between countries and peoples. Your largest association of news agencies on the planet has been creating a significant part of the global news flow for many years now, enjoying the attention of a multi-million audience,” says the greeting to the General Assembly from Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was read at the opening ceremony by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
“I am confident that constructive, meaningful discussions will take place during the General Assembly, and new, promising joint projects will be outlined that will serve the further development of mutually beneficial international cooperation,” says V. Putin’s greeting.
In his welcoming speech, Fu Hua, Director General of Xinhua News Agency, noted that the Asia-Pacific region is the engine of economic globalization, the center of world economic growth, the pillar of global development and stability, the outpost of international cooperation, and plays an important role in countering global challenges.
Xinhua calls on Asia-Pacific news agencies to work together to enhance mutual trust, promote inclusiveness, and advance cooperation and mutual benefit, Fu Hua said. He pledged that Xinhua will effectively fulfill its responsibilities, deepen partnerships with OANA member agencies, and develop multilateral mechanisms such as the World Media Summit, the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum, and the China-Central Asia News Agency Forum to write new chapters in the history of exchanges among news agencies.
TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov pointed out that today’s world is going through a key period of profound changes and transformation of the information environment, when cyber threats and fake information undermine audience trust in the media. According to him, in-depth exchanges and cooperation between Asia-Pacific news agencies, joint discussions on the use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data, accelerate the transformation of the media industry, which not only helps the development of the news agencies themselves, but is also of great importance for protecting the security and prosperity of the region and the entire world.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming said in a video message that in today’s turbulent world, news organizations and their staff face many serious challenges. Strengthening dialogue and exchanges between media outlets is especially important in this context, she said.
Director General of the Vietnam News Agency Vu Viet Trang told Xinhua that the world is changing rapidly today and news agencies must improve the efficiency of information delivery through technological innovations while ensuring accuracy and speed. At the same time, news agencies in the Asia-Pacific region must strengthen their voice in addressing regional and international issues, “this is the overall mission of news agencies in the Asia-Pacific region,” Vu Viet Trang stressed.
Deputy Director of the Kazakh Presidential Television and Radio Complex Askar Dzhaldinov told Xinhua that the world’s media are currently facing many common challenges. He noted that the media should not only fulfill their responsibilities in disseminating information, but also actively influence social development and the implementation of state policy.
As part of the General Assembly, its participants visited the OANA photo exhibition, which included photographs by Xinhua.
OANA is a regional media organization that unites 41 news agencies from 33 countries. Its predecessor was the Organization of Asian News Agencies, founded in Thailand in December 1961. –0–