Dear OANA Members,
On Augst 3rd, I took over the post of Director General as well as the post of Chairman of the Board of Anadolu Agency. Therefore I also took over the OANA Presidency.
It is an honour to be the President of such an important organization which enables direct and free exchange of news stories and digital photos between the news agencies in the Asia-Pacific region inhabited by more than half of the world population.
This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) which was formed in 1961 as a UNESCO initiative to secure direct and free flow of news in the region.
Today OANA consists of 43 news agencies from 34 countries. OANA members contribute the two-thirds of the information circulated throughout the world. It is an important tool to bring a new and fresh look at this region of the world.
The new OANA website to be launched very soon will allow member agencies to share not just news stories and pictures but also video content. This feature will add more value to our news pool and make our cooperation stronger. As president of OANA, our first priority is to increase the number of news stories, digital photos and videos submitted by OANA members.
Thai News Agency (TNA) will be hosting OANA's 50th anniversary celebrations in December. I look forward to meeting all my OANA colleagues in Bangkok.
As the new President of OANA, I am very keen to deepen our cooperation within the organization.

With my best regards,

Kemal Öztürk
OANA President
Director General of Anadolu Agency, Turkey