The opening ceremony of the 18th OANA General Assembly in Tehran on October 24 (Source: VNA)Tehran (VNA) – A Vietnam News Agency (VNA)delegation led by General Director Vu Viet Trang is taking part in the 18th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA),which kicked off in the Iranian capital of Tehran on October 24.
The opening ceremony was attended by Iranian Minister ofCulture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, Vietnamese Ambassador toIran Luong Quoc Huy, diplomatic representatives of some participating countries,and 22 delegations of regional news agencies.
In his opening remarks, Kim Hyeon-jun, an executive of the Republicof Korea’s Yonhap news agency - which is holding the OANA presidency, said the18th General Assembly is an occasion to assess challenges anddiscuss measures for promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation amongmember news agencies after an over-two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19pandemic.
Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Ali Naderi highly valued the role of the media,which has comprehensively reflected the pandemic’s impacts on the world.
He said it’s time for news agencies to enhance connectivityand cooperation, and a new chapter begins in thefields of communications and media after the pandemic.
VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang chairs a panel discussion of the 18th OANA General Assembly in Tehran on October 24. (Source: VNA)After the opening ceremony, VNA General Director Vu VietTrang chaired a panel discussion on media cooperation in thepost-pandemic period. The discussion featured Vugar Seyidov from the AZERTAC NewsAgency of Azerbaijian and Toshimitsu Sawai from Kyodo News of Japan as the mainspeakers.
In her introductory speech, Trang held that news agencieshave undergone trying times during the COVID-19 pandemic as their service revenueshrank strongly, most of development projects were delayed, and many mediacompanies had no other choices but to shut down.
Besides, digital technology has changed the public’sinformation access from print newspapers to internet platforms, forcing newsagencies to change accordingly, she went on, adding that the discussion was anoccasion for regional news agencies to work out solutions and initiatives tosurmount difficulties and move forwards.
On the first day of the 18th GeneralAssembly, the 49th meeting of the OANA Executive Board and a photoexhibition on the post-pandemic life also took place./.
