KosovaPress is making an extraordinary contribution to make Kosovo known beyond its borders, director of KosovaPress Suzana Rakovica-Hashani said. At the start of the international conference "Freedom of Speech Borders", in honor of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the KosovaPress News Agency, she said that the public's interest in being informed accurately is vital.

She welcomed all media representatives, where more than 20 world news agencies from all over Europe and the Balkans have joined today in the capital.

At the opening of the first panel on the topic "What are the challenges for the News Agencies in the recent period?", the director of KosovaPress News Agency, mentioned the agreements with the media in the Balkans and Europe.

"I am happy to point out that even though KosovaPress has been a member of these two networks, ABNA and EANA, for a short time, we are making an extremely large contribution to convey the messages to each institution, to every medium outside the borders, for the good of the country, for the good of our citizens, so that Kosovo is known in other countries. During these years, we have signed several cooperation agreements with various agencies of the Balkans and Europe. But beyond that, we also have close cooperation with some media and we have signed agreements with many of them", she said.

The director of KosovaPress said that the public's interest in accurate and fair information is vital.

" We consider the public's interest to be accurately informed vital, therefore we will continue with dedication and cooperation with all other agencies, which are numerous in these organizations. We have gathered here today to reflect on our shared values and role in promoting freedom of speech, within ethical and professional norms, to discuss how these values can be strengthened using the technological transformation that we are actually forced to respond to contemporary trends", she said.

In the first panel, the director of KosovaPress emphasized that there will be a discussion about misinformation and challenges to verify information and counter fake narratives.

This conference will bring together in our capital more than 20 world news agencies from all over Europe and the Balkans. Members of the largest European network of news agencies EANA (www.newsalliance.org) as well as that of South-East Europe ABNA SEE (www.abnase.com), networks where KosovaPress is a member, will be present at this event.

Especially for this conference, Nataliya Kostina, head of the Department for Foreign Relations at the Ukrainian News Agency ‘Ukrinform’, also comes from Kyiv.

The conference will have two panels, where journalists will have the opportunity to ask questions during the two panels and during the conference.

The first panel will focus on the contemporary challenges facing news agencies and the media in this period of great global change.

The first panel will be moderated by Branka Gabriela Vojvodic from the Croatian News Agency HINA and consists of: Alan Marshall from the United Kingdom’s PA Media Group, Camille Bouissou from the French News Agency AFP, Natalia Kostina from the Ukrainian News Agency UKRINFORM, Aimilios Perdiakris from the Greek News Agency ANA-MPA, and Rodolfo Cardarelli from the Italian News Agency ANSA.

This panel will discuss critical issues such as disinformation, technological advances, safety risks for journalists and the financial sustainability of news agencies in the landscape of the contemporary media world.

In the second panel, the speakers will be the president of the Prishtina MALL Board, Fatmir Zymeri, the leader of the UBT College Edmond Hajrizi, university professor Besa Luzha, Kushtrim Krasniqi from the Kosovo Olympic Committee, and Tualant Hodaj from the Kosovo Football Federation, who will present views about the possibility of creating synergies to support innovative initiatives that advance social prosperity.

The conference is being held at the "Emerald" hotel, Prishtina. /Sh. Pajaziti/