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The first plenary session of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) was held in Baku on November 18, Azertac reported.

The event moderator, OANA Secretary General, First Deputy Director General of Russia's Tass news agency Mikhail Gusman noted that more than 80 heads and representatives of 40 news agencies attended the meeting of the supreme body of the organization.

The OANA 16th Assembly's agenda then was put to a vote and approved.

Addressing the event, OANA president, Director General of TASS news agency Sergey Mikhaylov hailed the development of information technologies in recent years. He also pointed to the establishment of the committee of ethics of OANA, saying this was important amid growing cases of journalists facing violence in some countries.

Hailing OANA's active cooperation with a number of regional and international organizations, Sergey Mikhaylov noted that a special award was instituted to recognize the efforts of those who contribute to the development of journalism.

The event then featured a ceremony to award winners of "OANA Excellence Award".

Chairman of OANA, Director General of TASS news agency Sergei Mikhailov presented awards to Yonhap's chief of the media technology department Jung Tae-sung, and TASS Executive Editor, Information Quality Control Andrey Lebedev.

Also Azertac has taken over the presidency of the OANA from Russian TASS agency.

Aslan Aslanov, Azertac Director General assumed the three year presidency of OANA.

Azertac became a member of OANA in September, 2004. The agency was elected as a member of the OANA Executive Board at the organization’s 13th General Assembly in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on December 12, 2007.

At the 15th General Assembly held in Moscow in 2013, Azertac Director General Aslan Aslanov was elected as one of OANA`s vice presidents. In Moscow, Azertac was also elected – by secret ballot – as president of the organization for 2016-2019.

An initiative of UNESCO, the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies was founded in 1961 with the aim of expanding news exchange among regional news agencies. OANA`s members include 43 news agencies from 35 countries.

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