NEXT SESSION OF COUNCIL OF CIS NEWS AGENCIES DUE IN BAKU IN 2010

Minsk, 24 November (AzerTAc). The 10th session of the Council of state news agencies of CIS member states has decided to hold its next gathering in Azerbaijan`s capital Baku next March.
It has been agreed after the session`s participants accepted a proposal of Director General of Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency, AzerTAc, Aslan Aslanov in the Belarusian capital on Tuesday.
Aslanov said AzerTAc wanted to bring heads of state news agencies from CIS together in Baku in 2010, adding “next year we will celebrate the 90th anniversary of our agency”.
Aslanov was accompanied by head of the foreign relations department Nazim Khidirov.
Speakers at the event included Vitaly Ignatenko, ITAR-TASS Director-General, and Vladimir Garkun, first Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee.
The participants also agreed to prepare a website of the Association of National News Agencies of CIS member states, arrange a photo exhibition to mark the 65th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, and discussed the training of journalists for news agencies.
On the sidelines of the session its participants met students and teaching-staff at the Belarus State Institute of Journalism, visited the Belarus State Library and also were received by President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarus leader stressed the role of the mass media in “strengthening relations between countries”. Lukashenko expressed confidence the Minsk gathering of the Council of state news agencies would “bring member countries of CIS closer to each other”.
The Belarus President also praised his country`s relations with Azerbaijan, saying “our people enjoy close ties”
“We have sincere relations with President Ilham Aliyev,” added Lukashenko.
He noted Belarus placed particular importance on expanding the relations with Azerbaijan.