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Siberia news centre opens as Itar-Tass grows its regional network

NOVOSIBIRSK, December 17./ITAR-TASS/. Russian news agency Itar-Tass opened the doors to a multimedia news and information centre in Siberia's capital, Novosibirsk, on Tuesday - the second location in the agency's new network of regional operations.

The center and congress hall partners the Urals complex opened in September at Yekaterinburg. They will be followed by similar operations to be opened or modernized in the cities of Rostov, Khabarovsk and elsewhere "in response to the call of the times," said Itar-Tass director general Sergei Mikhailov.

Novosobirsk's modern news center opens to accommodate the agency's Siberian editorial and associated services, operating from headquarters by the banks of the Ob river.

Operations were launched at a news conference marked today by an agreement between Itar-Tass and Novosibirsk region's government on "interaction in the information field".

The accord was hailed by region governor Vasily Yurchenko, noting to journalists that "As a governor, I could not miss the chance to use the professionalism of the Itar-Tass news agency and its experience for the benefit of Novosibirsk region.”

Looking ahead to co-operation between the agency and the regional administration, director general Mikhailov said close contact would enable the media center to "pass word to the authorities and let them express their opinion” on issues of importance, "to be broadcast in the same way as any other opinions on the same issue.

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