OANA's conference begins with Putin calling on media to be responsible

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lauded the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) describing it as one of the major media gatherings worldwide and urged media of regional nations to adopt "responsible policies." Putin, in a message he addressed to participants in OANA's 15th General Assembly that got underway here today, said the organization is one of the oldest international gatherings for news agencies, with a prominent status and role in unifying efforts of the media organizations in Asia and the Pacific. Dialogue within the organization is helpful to bolster cooperation among the news agencies at the technological and professional levels as well as well for sake of adoption of balanced policies for coverage of major issues, Putin said, in his address to the convention that involves Board Chairman and Director General of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah. He called on the media to adopt "responsible policies" for coverage of news and boasted of achievements of the Russian media. The chairperson of the Federal Assembly or Upper House of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matviyenko, in a statement at the session, praised news agencies of OANA's member states, underlining their role in promoting these countries and establishing bridges among their nations. She also stressed on necessity to cover news objectively, in shadow of the torrent of information caused by the "technological revolution." OANA President Kemal Ozturk called for upgrading the organization and criticized some news organizations of the regional countries for failing to cover some crucial events, alluding the Syrian crisis in particular. Meanwhile, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij visited a photo exhibition, held on sidelines of the convention, with participation of the Kuwaiti news agency.