MOSCOW, Nov 18 (ABP) – The Russian news agency TASS is organizing, from November 16 to 24, a press tour for journalists from African news agencies, including the Burundi News Agency (ABP).The aim of this tour is to familiarize participants with the structure and operations of TASS, to facilitate meetings with editorial and administrative leadership, and to introduce them to major Russian organizations specializing in cooperation with the African continent.
On the first day, Andrei Kondrashov, Director-General of TASS, emphasized that the tour is organized with a focus on concrete cooperation with Africa. He stressed the importance of the media’s voice in bilateral exchanges, adding that TASS, like other Russian media outlets, is seeking to open agency offices in African countries.
Speaking next, Irina Abramova, Director of the Africa Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, recalled that friendship between Russia and African countries dates back to the Soviet era. She noted that it is time to expand this cooperation to other countries in order to support their sovereignty and independence.
During a Q&A session, a journalist from ABP asked the TASS leadership about the need and possibility of opening an office in Burundi, as has been done in some other African countries, to strengthen Russo-Burundian media cooperation. The director responded that a memorandum of understanding could be considered for exchanging information on African news in TASS’s global coverage.
After the press conference, a guided tour was organized at the headquarters of the Russian News Agency TASS, whose history as a public media outlet dates back to 1904.
The African journalists then participated in a roundtable with the organizers to exchange views, during which they briefly introduced their respective news agencies.
The first day concluded with a visit to Moscow State University. Yelena Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, held a lecture for the African journalists. They were able to ask questions about the work of Russian media and participated in a guided tour of the institution. It was highlighted during the visit that this university is one of Moscow’s most beautiful facilities, over 200 years old, and survived a bombing during World War II.
The participating journalists come from ten African countries, including Burundi, Benin, DR Congo, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Tunisia, and Cameroon.
After Moscow, the tour continued to two other major Russian cities, Saint Petersburg and Kazan.
Denis NTIHINDAGIZWA