Turkey’s Anatolia to open Balkans broadcasting base

Turkey's state run Anatolia news agency is to begin broadcasting international news in regional languages this month after opening an office in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 11 March, the news agency will provide news in the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages, according to Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman. "Anatolia has many reporters in various parts of the world, including the Middle East. Receiving news from Anatolia is so important for us, as it covers news stories from Turkey and the Middle East, where we [Bosnian news agencies] have an inadequate number of reporters," said Benjamin Butkovich, news director at Bosnia and Herzegovina's state-run BHRT TV channel. Mirza Buljubasic, vice general manager of TV Kantona Sarajevo, added: "Until now we were covering international and Turkish news with wires from Western news agencies, with a one-sided vision of the world. Anatolia's news broadcasts will bring a new perspective to our reports." National and regional media outlets will receive Anatolia's reports for free for one year following the opening of the new office, according to Today's Zaman. Bosniak member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ and Anatolia Executive Board Chairman and Director-General Kemal Öztürk will attend the office's inauguration ceremony on 11 March.