Sofia: The Director General of the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Sattar Al-Ardawi, on Monday signed a partnership and cooperation agreement with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, as part of the agency's ongoing development and efforts to expand its international cooperation, reflecting its continued progress and enhancing the reach of its media mission to a broader audience worldwide.
According to Iraqi News Agency, Al-Ardawi expressed his appreciation to the Bulgarian News Agency for signing the agreement and lauded BTA's strong historical foundations and broad geographical reach. He highlighted that the Iraqi News Agency has seen significant development in recent years at the editorial, technical, and digital levels, expanding its news services and strengthening its presence across various media platforms by adopting the latest technologies in content production and distribution in line with international professional standards.
Al-Ardawi emphasized that the Iraqi News Agency is a trusted source of news both in Iraq and internationally. The agency is actively working to expand its network of partnerships with global news agencies to facilitate the exchange of news and expertise and to strengthen Iraq's presence in the international media landscape. He explained that the partnership agreement with the Bulgarian News Agency aligns with INA's strategy to expand its international cooperation, noting that the agency currently publishes its news in multiple languages and plans to launch services in French, Spanish, and Persian.
Al-Ardawi stated that the INA's readership stands at approximately 25 million readers in Iraq and abroad. He also mentioned the establishment of a direct channel for information exchange with Bulgaria and extended an invitation to his Bulgarian counterpart to visit Iraq for further strengthening of bilateral relations.
Kiril Valchev, Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency, noted during the signing ceremony that the archives of the Bulgarian News Agency contain two previous agreements with the Iraqi News Agency, dating back to 1976 and 1982. He explained that the new agreement allows for regular news exchange, granting each agency full access to the other's news service, and aims to strengthen cooperation through information exchange of mutual interest and journalist exchange programs between the two countries.
Valchev highlighted that the Iraqi News Agency is the ninth news agency in the Middle East to sign a cooperation agreement with the Bulgarian News Agency. He mentioned ongoing discussions with other countries in the region, as well as agreements with Algeria and Morocco in North Africa, with talks underway with Libya and Tunisia. Valchev acknowledged Iraq's historical significance and the long-standing diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Iraq, established in 1958.
During the signing ceremony, Valchev presented Al-Ardawi with historical BTA reports related to Iraq from the agency's archives, including reports on Iraq's admission to the League of Nations in 1932 and the proclamation of the Republic of Iraq in 1958. Valchev concluded by highlighting the wealth of news from Iraq thanks to the previous agreements with INA. The Bulgarian News Agency currently provides Bulgarian media outlets with free access to news from over 50 partner news agencies worldwide.