Beijing, December 3 (QNA) - The 57th meeting of the Executive Council of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) convened Wednesday in Boao, Hainan Province, China, focusing on journalist safety and cooperation in advanced technologies.

In his opening remarks, President of China’s Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua, called on OANA members to strengthen regional partnerships based on mutual trust, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation, and to provide reliable and truthful news to help the world better understand the region.

Fu also expressed Xinhua’s readiness to enhance cooperation in advanced technologies and promote research, development, and application with other members.

For his part, President of OANA and Director General of Russia’s TASS News Agency Andrey Kondrashov stressed the need for countries to collectively harness artificial intelligence to combat fake news and disseminate reliable information.

He also emphasized the importance of building more reliable and secure mechanisms to protect journalists.

The meeting also approved the admission of Mongolia's national news agency, Montsem, to the organization's executive council and adopted a joint statement on the safety of journalists.

It emphasized that protecting journalists is a responsibility not only of professional media outlets but also of the entire global community.

The statement affirmed that the organization's members will continue their mission of providing factual news, supporting safety training for our colleagues, and upholding the principles of objectivity, without which the world cannot truly enjoy justice and security.

The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), originally founded in Thailand in December 1961 as the Organization of Asian News Agencies, aims to promote the direct and free exchange of news and information in the Asia-Pacific region and to foster cooperation among its members and with news agencies worldwide. (QNA)