The meeting was attended by representatives from the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Azerbaijan State News Agency (Azertac), the Kazakhstan President’s TV and Radio Complex, Russian News Agency TASS, and the Turkmenistan State News Agency (TDH) in the Russian capital city on Sunday evening.
Participants emphasized the importance of enhancing multilateral cooperation among leading media organizations in the Caspian region. They reached a consensus that the union of the Caspian news agencies should be established for the benefit of the five neighboring states.
The representatives from the official news agencies of the five Caspian littoral states agreed to hold negotiations on the drafting of the union’s charter, determining the date and venue for the next meeting, as well as developing frameworks for dissemination of information within the union.
Director of IRNA’s international affairs Zaman Rezakhani stressed the necessity for strengthening media collaborations among neighboring states, describing the formation of the news agency union as a step toward making the littoral nations more connected and strengthening relations between regional governments.
Rezakhani proposed the establishment of a joint platform for the news agencies of the Caspian littoral states, arguing that this platform would enable these media outlets not only to share their news but also to become a reference for news stories regarding the Caspian region.
On August 16-17, 2024, representatives from the official news agencies of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan reached an agreement during the ninth media conference of the Caspian littoral states in Astrakhan, Russia, regarding the framework for establishing a media union aimed at news exchange, joint news production, and sharing experiences.