ANKARA

China’s ambassador to Turkey on Wednesday paid a visit to the headquarters of Anadolu Agency, Turkey's premier news source.

Ambassador Liu Shaobin was welcomed at the headquarters in the capital Ankara by Serdar Karagoz, the agency's director general, and Yusuf Ozhan, the deputy director general and editor-in-chief.

In the meeting, Karagoz spoke about Anadolu Agency's extensive global news presence and dedicated journalistic work.

Stating that Anadolu Agency aims to become a news agency that will compete in the global arena, he added that they are working to boost the agency’s news coverage in the world media.

Karagoz also said Chinese journalists should take part in the Anadolu Agency News Academy.

On the annual Istanbul Photo Awards, he stressed that the competition – which also includes participants from China – is one of the world’s most prestigious.

"Our aim is for the Istanbul Photo Awards to be the world's top news photography competition and for photojournalists to show great respect for it," he added.

'Anadolu Agency influential both in Turkey and worldwide’

Deputy Director General Ozhan also made a presentation on the mission, vision, and goals of Anadolu Agency, spotlighting some agency headlines and photos featured in international media outlets.

He said that Anadolu Agency employs 142 different nationalities as a news agency with offices in 41 sites around the world and representatives in 100 countries.

Noting that the agency reporters use the most advanced technological facilities, Ozhan also showed examples of the agency's drone photos used in global media.

Ambassador Liu, for his part, highlighted the importance of improving relations between the two countries and the key role the media plays in this, especially Anadolu Agency.

"You are a news agency with a reputation and influence in both Turkey and around the world. Therefore, there must be people among you who speak Chinese," he said, referring to need to boost the number of Chinese speakers at the agency.

Stating that Anadolu Agency played an important role during the formation of the Turkish Republic, Liu said today Anadolu Agency is an agency with significant international impact.

"This is why we will be happy to host correspondents from Anadolu Agency in China. I hope our reporter friends can visit different parts of China and do on-site investigations after working there and make an effort to explain the real Chinese society to Turkey and the world," he said.

Founded in 1920, Anadolu Agency is a leading global news agency operating across the world. It serves subscribers in more than 100 countries, including in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Asia-Pacific.

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