BELGRADE, Serbia

Senior Serbian officials congratulated Anadolu Agency on Monday on its centennial year.

Zorana Mihajlovic and Rasim Ljajic said the agency helped improve the region's ties with Turkey.

"I congratulate Anadolu Agency on the 100th anniversary of its daily reporting on important political, economic and cultural events in both Serbia and Turkey, contributing to the improvement of overall relations between the two countries, as well as good neighborly relations in the region," said Mihajlovic, who is also the country's Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.

For his part, Ljajic, the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, said Anadolu Agency's presence in the Western Balkans was "very important for maintaining and enhancing the good ties of the whole region with Turkey."

"The agency's economic service has played a major role in promoting economic cooperation between Serbia and Turkey and our investment potential, which has certainly contributed to Turkish companies' interest in investing in Serbia and opening new factories," he said.

Among sports figures, former Partizan and Galatasaray football player Dzevad Prekazi said the agency's existence for 100 years was a great success and that its coverage was accurate and appreciated.

He also stressed the agency's role in improving relations between the two countries via sports, as Turkey provided the best conditions for athletes among the countries in the region.

Vladimir Kuzmanovic, the president of the Wheelchair Basketball Association of Serbia, emphasized that he had enjoyed great cooperation with Anadolu Agency in promoting wheelchair basketball.

"Representatives of the agency have been present at all wheelchair basketball tournaments held in Belgrade and I believe that the effects of our cooperation will be seen in the future. Turkey is one of the leaders in Europe in this sport and I believe they can help us in every way, just like Turkish basketball grew with Serbian players and coaches," he said.

As a global news agency, Anadolu Agency is among the 10 most influential media outlets in the world, providing its subscribers in more than 90 countries thousands of news stories, photos, videos, infographics, and other information-based content through its global network of correspondents and photojournalists in 100 countries.