POLITICS
AZERTAC TURNS 90
Baku, March 1 (AZERTAC). The Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency - AZERTAC turns 90. Being the country`s leading news agency, AZERTAC, founded by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on March 1, 1920, is the only state information source for the local and foreign mass media. Later, the Agency functioned under different names. And after the Republic regained state independence the Agency`s historical name was restored. Since 2000, the Agency officially was named as the Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency.
Along with the official government information, AZERTAC wires in Azerbaijani, English and Russian languages round-the-clock news covering all spheres of life in Azerbaijan including politics, economy, culture, sports, health, environment and others.
AZERTAC has international cooperation agreements with ITAR-TASS (Russia), Anatolian News Agency (Turkey), Xinhua (China), Rompres (Romania), Ukrinform (Ukraine), BELTA (Belarus), Tanjug (Serbia), BTA (Bulgaria) and ANSA (Italy), IRNA (Iran), Moldpres (Moldova), ATA (Albania), MTI (Hungary) MENA (Egypt), PETRA (Jordan) and ANTARA (Indonesia), Montsame (Mongolia), Yonhap (South Korea), LETA (Latvia), Kabar (Kyrgyzia), Kazinform (Kazakhstan), KUNA (Kuwait), Khovar (Tajikistan).
In September 2004, AZERTAC joined the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and on April 18, 2008 the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA).
AZERTAC is one of the founders of the Association of the National News Agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (ANIA), the Union of the Turkish Speaking News Agencies (TKA) and the Black Sea Association of National News Agencies (BSANNA).
Since 2008, AZERTAC has been a member of the consortium of Asia`a news agencies AsiaPulse.
AZERTAC has bureaus in the USA, Russia, Turkey, France, Germany, Austria, Iran, Ukraine, Georgia, Central Asia and Kazakhstan, as well as all provinces of Azerbaijan.
On February 26, 2010, on the eve of the Agency`s jubilee, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev awarded a group of the Agency staff with honorary titles and orders.
Representatives of 13 authoritative media bodies of foreign countries have come to take part at the jubilee ceremony.
On 1 March, participants of the jubilee ceremony visited the Alley of Honors to pay contribute to the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev and also honored the Alley of Martyrs.
The official jubilee ceremony was held at the Youth Theater of Baku. The ceremony was attendee by foreign guests, state and government officials, MPs, media captains, intellectuals.
After the State Anthem was performed, head of the president administration`s socio-political department Ali Hasanov, the Director General of AZERTAC Aslan Aslanov, General Director of ITAR-TASS Vitaliy Ignatenko, Director General of Anatolian Agency Hilmi Bengi, Director General of BTA agency, Bulgaria, Maksim Minchev, the rector of Baku State University Abel Maharramov, Director of the Croatia`s HINA agency, Smiljana Hrincevich, Deputy Director of ANSA agency Guilio Pekora, Italy, the Associate Executive Director, International Department, Kyodo News, Japan, Masaru Savanishi, the President of Asian-European Department of the Chinese Xinhua News Agency Zhang Jinhai and academician, director of the History Institute of ANAS Yagub Mahmudov have made remarks at the ceremony.
The ceremony participants have adopted an Address to the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
The jubilee ceremony was followed by a gala concert.
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