YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The ARMENPRESS News Agency hosted a consultation in its headquarters on the organizational works of the Armenian International Media Forum at the initiative of Shahan Gantaharyan – the Editor-in-Chief of Azdak Daily.

Gantaharyan is overseeing the development of the format the Pan-Armenian Media Conference which was earlier held in Antelias, Lebanon.  

The consultation focused on recapping the results of the conference and the continuation of the outlined actions.

The agenda featured discussions of the joint activities of Armenian news media, as well as possible models of Armenian international media partnership.

“Within the framework of the Year of Armenian Press declared by Catholicos Aram I an important conference took place which aimed at valuing the Pan-Armenian media environment’s role and importance in the modern realities, and this meeting is the first step of the outlined works,” Gantaharyan said.

An extensive exchange of views took place at the meeting regarding the formats and contents of the next forums.

“I believe the Pan-Armenian conferences shouldn’t be limited to the discussions of exclusively our domestic contents and problems, but should rather include a broader scope of issues, must be held by involving Armenian journalists working at all news media, also in international ones, should include the media networks of other nations with the purpose of strengthening our capacities even more,” ARMENPRESS Director Aram Ananyan said referring to the format of expanding the discussions.

The content issues of news media conferences were also discussed. Union of Journalists of Armenia President Satik Seyranyan noted that future discussions should focus on maximally the issues of interest for the journalism community.

“In my conviction our discussions must have a more emphasized specialized content, which will make our capacities more effective, and will also boost the Armenian news media development programs. This all is very important in the technologically rapidly changing world,” Seyranyan said.

Participants of the meeting attached importance to the fact that the Pan-Armenian Media Conference took place at the Armenian Antelias monastery and the results of the event. “The initiative of the Holy See of Cilicia was important in terms of giving a new start to the valuable pan-Armenian tradition, which conveyed a fresh momentum to pan-Armenian media discussions by bringing together the potential of the entire Armenian news media sector, and in this perspective Catholicos Aram I’s thankful initiative is highly commendable,” Zartonk Daily Editor-In-Chief Sevak Hakobyan added.

It was decided to continue meetings with broader and more encompassing agenda and format.

The Pan-Armenian Media Conference took place July 2-4, 2019 at the Antelias cathedral in Beirut, Lebanon at the initiative of the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia. The event was held as part of the Year of Armenian Press, which is also initiated by the Holy See of Cilicia.

Representatives of nearly 100 media outlets and newspapers from Armenia, Artsakh and all over the Diaspora had gathered for the event.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan