«In June, TASS will host the General Assembly of Asia-Pacific News Agencies. And afterward, TASS will lead this organization by taking over its presidency,» he said at a Federation Council meeting.

«Three quarters of the news flow goes through agencies that are members of this organization,» Gusman said. «It is currently very important to us that our voice, as a word of truth from Russia, could reach the countries of the Global South.»

In February, the OANA Executive Committee unanimously voted at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur to grant TASS the right to host the 19th OANA General Assembly in St. Petersburg in June.

Gusman then assured the participants of the meeting, at the direction of TASS Director-General Andrey Kondrashov, that the agency will hold the event «at the highest possible level.»

Participants of the General Assembly in Russia will not only be able to attend plenary sessions, but also will have an opportunity to meet with the country’s leading politicians and public figures, as well as take tours of the Russian imperial capital.

OANA was founded on the initiative of UNESCO in 1961. Its goal is to actively promote alternative viewpoints on global events and advocate the idea of a multipolar world.

OANA brings together more than 40 news agencies from 35 countries and is the world’s largest media organization.