By Muhammet Kursun
TEHRAN (AA) – Anadolu Agency's Deputy Director General and Editor-in-Chief Metin Mutanoglu visited Iran's Mehr News Agency where he met his counterpart Gulam Riza Dehkani on Tuesday.
Mutanoglu is in Iran to attend the 43rd executive board meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), which kicked off in the Iranian capital on Monday.
Anadolu Agency's Marketing and Corporate Communications Director Yilmaz Yaman and Persian News Editor Hikmet Gok accompanied him.
In addition to Dehkani, Mehr News Agency's Foreign News General Director Muhammed Kadiri and English News head Peyman Yezdani attended the meeting.
Mutanoglu said that Anadolu Agency has correspondents in 100 countries across the world as the agency is set to mark its centenary.
Founded in 1920, Anadolu Agency will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Mutanoglu said that they decided to move Anadolu Agency's Middle East News desk to East Jerusalem occupied by Israel in a show of solidarity with Palestinians.
He added that efforts must be taken to enhance the friendship between Turkey and Iran, and for this reason Anadolu Agency established the Persian News Desk in 2015.
He said the two countries share values.
“We have to use a positive language in media discourse. Despite some disputes, friendship will continue between these two countries, ” Mutanoglu added.
Dehkani said that with joint cooperation both sides will be able to adopt a joint stance on regional issues, especially Palestine.
At the end of the meeting, Mutanoglu presented a gift to Dehkani.
OANA was founded on Dec. 22, 1961, with the aim of promoting information exchange between regional news agencies.
Azerbaijan's official news agency AZERTAC currently holds the presidency of OANA.
OANA’s next annual meeting will be held in Vietnam. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency will take over the organization's presidency for the 2019-2022 term.
