ASTANA – The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will be creating a common photobank available to member states. The idea was approved at the 23rd CIS Heads of State Information Agencies (Information Council) meeting held in Sochi, Russia, which coincided with the opening of the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students.
Event participants discussed issues of news agencies’ cultural interaction, in particular as its relates to information support next year during the CIS “Year of Culture.” The representatives talked about current trends in developing agency journalism, the practice of using an interagency informer operating in test mode, organising press tours and creative seminars for journalists and photo correspondents and exchanging experience in digitising photo archives.
Based on the results, the information council agreed to create the photobank. State news agencies also advocated for more active coverage of issues relating to developing and promoting domestic tourism as it relates to council members. As 2018 will mark 100 years since the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) and Armenpress News Agency were founded, the state news agencies agreed to hold information council meetings in both countries next year.
The council, established in November 1995, includes state news services heads from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan. Its activities are aimed at ensuring information interaction and cooperation among CIS countries, creating favourable conditions for unhindered dissemination of information and effective exchange of professional experience, as well as strengthening media partnership. The meeting involved agency heads from all countries involved except Kyrgyzstan and Moldova.
