Anadolu Agency 'voice of the oppressed' with 100 years of experience
T urkey's Anadolu Agency is celebrating its centennial anniversary and continues to herald the voice of Anatolia to the world, its founding purpose back in 1920.
O n April 6, 1920, Anadolu Agency, founded by Turkey's founder and first president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, began its news journey with the mission of disseminating true information.
The Anadolu Agency, hundred years after its foundation, now operates in 13 languages (Turkish, English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Persian, Russian, Bosnian, Indonesian, Albanian, Macedonian, Sorani and Kurmanji), and provides news to near 6,000 subscribers from 100 countries, adding it produced an average of 2,000 news daily, 2,350 photographs, 435 videos and addressed the world with 18 live broadcasts with help of more than 3,000 employees of 124 different nationalities.
Speaking to Kazinform on this special occasion, Anadolu Agency's Director General Senol Kazanci said the agency is determined to maintain its efforts to provide accurate, reliable, fast and effective news.
«Anadolu Agency has been the largest and most influential news body since its foundation,» said Kazanci, adding that the agency is founded 17 days before the establishment of the parliament of Turkey, the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
«While Turkey firmly takes steps in its path to become a strong global actor in the sense of politics, economic and military, Anadolu Agency also took part in this blessed journey and managed to become the most effective and strongest communication tool announcing messages and heralding Turkey's voice to the world,» the director general added.
The agency, with now having 100 years of experience, does not only content itself with its domestic mission.
«In particular, I would like to emphasize that Anadolu Agency is the voice of the oppressed and victims around the world,» said Kazanci. «We also take pride in covering the resistance of Palestine, the survival struggle of Bosnia, the pain of Rohingya, cries of oppressed Syrians, and the untold stories of people in Africa.»
Kazanci said Anadolu Agency was excited to convey developments of growing Turkey to the world while the country has been observing «historical breakthroughs under the leadership of the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.»
The director general also paid tribute to agency workers who lost their lives while trying to cover the news.
«Our respect and loyalty to Anadolu Agency employees martyred while working are eternal,» he said. «We are determined to maintain our efforts to convey accurate, reliable, fast and effective news with our colleagues while preserving the honor of the occupation of journalism and paying regards to impartiality, national conscience, and patriotism at the same time, as it has been the case for the past 100 years,» he said.
Talking about Anadolu Agency and KAZINFORM's bilateral relations, Kazanci extended «sincere appreciation» to KAZINFORM Director General Askar Umarov for his congratulatory letter and good wishes regarding Anadolu Agency’s 100th anniversary.
«It is a great honor for me to say that the friendly and cooperative relations between AA and KAZINFORM have been continuously improved over a long time,» Kazanci said. «We are also delighted to be part of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) with KAZINFORM and working together for contributing the alliance.»
«In fact, we realized more than ever that how news agencies' existence and their collaborations together are important and valuable during these difficult times for humanity. I believe that we will all overcome these tumultuous times as humanity,» he said.