Bulgarian News Agency, Uzbekistan National News Agency sign cooperation agreement
Baku, June 3, AZERTAC
The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Uzbekistan National News Agency (UzA), represented by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and UzA Director General Abdusaid Kuchimov respectively, signed a memorandum on information exchange in BTA's National Press Club here on Tuesday.
In his key remarks, Valchev said: "UzA is a news agency with a history dating back to 1918. In 1992, it became the national news agency of Uzbekistan. Bulgaria was one of the first countries to recognize Uzbekistan’s independence." The head of BTA took the opportunity to present Kuchimov with a printout of BTA news reports from August 31, 1991, when Uzbekistan’s independence was declared, and from January 13, 1992, when Bulgaria recognized the country.
Valchev noted the high number of Uzbeks working in Bulgaria. According to one source, more than 10,500 Uzbeks found a job in Bulgaria between 2019 and 2024, and this number is constantly growing. He added: "This is the largest community of foreign workers in Bulgaria, surpassing that of any other country. We hope that, thanks to the information that UzA will disseminate, the families of these Uzbek citizens will learn more about the country where their loved ones are working. There is interest in Uzbekistan tourism in Bulgaria, and I am confident that the news we will receive from UzA will encourage tourism between the two countries, as well as business."
Kuchimov expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and stated that the event would further strengthen the cultural and informational ties between the two agencies, as well as between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria. He added: "It is worth noting that our peoples are bound by long-standing ties of friendship, mutual respect, and reliable cooperation. The political, economic, and cultural relations between our countries are reaching new heights year after year. Bulgaria is one of our most reliable and important partners in the European Union."
The head of UzA stated that the large-scale reforms implemented under the leadership of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, open up new horizons for expanding relations with foreign partners, and with Bulgaria in particular.
Kuchimov said: "There is a well-known saying in the information age: 'He who owns the information, owns the world.' However, in today's era of globalization, merely possessing information is no longer enough; ensuring that it is prompt, objective, and truthful has become a vital necessity. The world is changing rapidly today. Globalization and digitization present new challenges to the media landscape. In an era where fake news, manipulation, and disinformation are rampant, the responsibility of national news agencies like UzA and BTA doubles. We are duty-bound to provide our audience with only accurate and verified information."
The head of UzA called signing the cooperation agreement a historic step toward fulfilling the crucial mission of providing such information. He added: "From now on, the public of Uzbekistan will have the opportunity to receive news about Bulgarian life, its rich culture, and economic potential directly from the primary source. Similarly, the people of Bulgaria and Europe will be regularly informed with objective coverage regarding the dynamic changes, tourism potential, and ongoing transformations in Uzbekistan and Central Asia."
Kuchimov shared his confidence that the cooperation between UzA and BTA will open a new chapter in the history of friendship between the two nations.
UzA was founded in 1918, making it the oldest information agency in Central Asia. UzA's website offers news in Uzbek (both in Cyrillic and Latin), Russian, English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Kazakh.
The agreement between BTA and UzA covers cooperation and the exchange of news content between the two national news agencies. Each party grants the other the right to receive, translate, and distribute its news in English free of charge, provided that the source is cited. The parties undertake not to alter the content or meaning of the materials received and to respect copyrights. A daily exchange of at least one major news story and a photograph for publication by the other party is envisaged. The agreement promotes professional exchange through visits by journalists and media professionals, with specific programmes to be detailed in additional annexes.
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