Armenpress, IRNA executives discuss development of partnership in Yerevan

Armenpress Director Narine Nazaryan met with Iranian IRNA news agency Director-General Hossein Jaberi-Ansari during his visit to the Armenian news agency’s Yerevan head office.

The Iranian media executive’s delegation included IRNA international relations manager Zaman Rezakhani and Iranian embassy staffers. 

Armenpress Editor-in-Chief Shant Khlghatyan, Deputy Director Vahram Yeghiazaryan and Deputy Director Araks Kasyan also participated in the meeting.

The parties reaffirmed readiness to further deepen the strong cooperation and partnership between Armenpress and IRNA and outlined the steps in that direction.

The Iranian delegation toured the Armenpress head office, including the photo archive, the press conference center and podcast studio.

CEO Narine Nazaryan highlighted that this year will mark the 107th anniversary of the founding of Armenpress.

“We will be happy to be the bearers and continuers of that legacy, and in our work, we are guided by the commitment to create new values. Among those values is strengthening existing bridges of friendship and partnership, as well as building new ones. The partnership between Armenpress and IRNA is built on a solid foundation and a warm history. The memorandum of understanding signed between the two agencies in 2017 provides the formal basis for cooperation, but it is the direct interactions that shape strong practical relations — the opportunity of which we had with Mr. Zaman Rezakhani in 2024, and now we are honored to host Mr. Hossein Jaberi-Ansari here,” Narine Nazaryan said.

The Armenpress executive said that while organizing the visit of the Iranian partners, special importance was attached to the need to discuss opportunities for expanding cooperation, to introduce the visiting delegation to Armenia and its cultural heritage, and the opportunity to provide them with a first-hand understanding of the ongoing developments around Armenia and the country’s positions during meetings with officials.

“In these turbulent times, we — as institutions with the important mission of informing the public — are deeply aware of our role: to remain impartial, to provide comprehensive reporting, to overcome challenges by continuously educating our own media teams, and by adopting new tools and methods,” Nazaryan said.

According to her, the decline in trust toward traditional media, the spread of disinformation and fake news, information overload, and the polarization of opinions are challenges faced even by well-established media outlets with rich legacies. “This is where joining efforts can strengthen us further, allowing us to lay the centuries-old friendship between our peoples on even firmer foundations and to create opportunities for better mutual understanding,” Nazaryan stated.

Narine Nazaryan pointed out that Armenpress provides news in ten languages: Armenian, English, Russian, Persian, Arabic, French, Spanish, Turkish, Georgian, and Chinese – a reflection of the news agency’s commitment to “make Armenia’s voice heard globally.”

Nazaryan said that Armenpress has signed cooperation agreements with more than 40 news agencies and media companies around the world on content exchange, joint projects and support.

Armenpress is open for cooperation to address the challenges facing traditional mass media, such as fake news, including AI-generated deepfakes.

Mr. Hossein Jaberi-Ansari highlighted the historical connection between Armenian and Iranian nations. 

The shared history, civilization, culture, and ties between the peoples of Iran and Armenia have served as a foundation for a special bond between the two countries — one that unites and brings the two nations closer together, he said.

“I think in the media sector we are lagging behind these close ties between the two countries. I propose that, with mutual support, we quickly bridge this gap as soon as possible.

“We, too, have a century-long experience and history similar to your agency, during which we have preserved the best traditions and opportunities. What is important is that we are able to implement these good traditions, connections, history, and the documents already signed between us — in other words, to bring to life what is written on paper,” the Iranian media executive said. 

He highlighted mutual visits between the news agencies in terms of strengthening cooperation and effectiveness of joint work.

During the meeting the parties discussed the development of partnership.