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15th OANA General Assembly ends in gala reception at Moscow Mayor’s Office

Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Leonid Pechatnikov, read out a greeting message of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin

MOSCOW, September 20 (Itar-Tass) - The 15th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) ended its work on Friday with a gala reception on behalf of the Moscow Mayor’s Office. The reception was held at the Metropol restaurant in the centre of Moscow.

“I would like to thank you for the credence you have given to Itar-Tass when you elected this agency the OANA president,” Itar-Tass Director General Sergei Mikhailov said, opening the reception. He noted that the renewed executive committee of the organization had already held its first meeting to elect four vice presidents.

Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Leonid Pechatnikov, read out a greeting message of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. “Moscow combines elements of the Russian history and its present day,” the message said. “As a key sign of the 21st century, we welcome you, representatives from news agencies of the Asia Pacific region.

“We know that you provide information to the two-thirds of the Earth’s population. I would like to wish your information be reliable, topical and in demand,” Pechatnikov said.

The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) was set up at the UNESCO initiative in 1961. It incorporates 44 news agencies from 35 countries and is the biggest media organization. Its basic task is to promote alternative points of view on global developments and the idea of multi-polar world. The 16th General Assembly will be held in the Azerbaijani capital city Baku in 2016 and will be hosted by Azerbaijan’s news agency AzerTAc.

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