Skopje, 3 September 2025 (MIA) – The Media Information Agency – MIA this year hosts the 33rd General Assembly of the Association of Balkan News Agencies – Southeast Europe (ABNA-SE), which takes place in Skopje.

The decision was made last year at the 32nd General Assembly in Istanbul, organized by the Turkish national news agency, Anadolu.

MIA Director Darko Janevski, according to last year’s decision, is a member of the ABNA-SE Administrative Board. Last year, the head of the Greek news agency, ANA-MPA, Aimilios Perdikaris, was re-elected as member of the Managing Board. Anadolu’s director Serdar Karagoz remains as board member, which presides over ABNA-SE. Kiril Valchev, ABNA-SE Secretary General and Director General of Bulgaria’s news agency BTA, is also part of the administrative body.

Heads of national news agencies from the Balkans, the Mediterranean and Europe, or their representatives will attend the 33rd ABNA-SE General Assembly in Skopje, including MIA’s director Darko Janevski.

The General Assembly will be preceded by a conference titled “Establishing Truth in Journalism”, set to be opened by MIA’s General Director. Representatives of the participating news agencies will also have the chance to share their views.

Twelve news agencies make up ABNA-SE, including MIA, ATA, Anadolu Agency, FENA, BTA, HINA, CNA, ANA-MPA, Kosova Press, MINA, Agerpres and ANSA.

At the 30th General Assembly, held in Burgas in 2022, ABNA-SE from an informal organization, functioning for over 30 years, became a formal association registered as a legal entity with its own statute and rules of conduct for all members as well as criteria that should be met by those who want to join the association. A statute was passed at the Burgas meeting, created on the basis of the legal document of the European Alliance of News Agencies, which allows ABNA-SEE in its work to apply the European standards and rules of the European Union.

Photo: MIA