Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 24
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
The OSCE organized a study visit to Latvia for six representatives of Turkmenistan’s print and broadcast media and the parliament June 20-22, the OSCE said.
According to the OSCE, media development and reform were in focus of the visit. Organized in close cooperation with Latvian Foreign Ministry, the three-day visit familiarized the delegation from Turkmenistan with Latvia’s experience in implementing media reforms and enhancing national legislation in line with international standards and requirements of the modern media environment.
The delegation members included a member of the Turkmen parliament, representatives from Neutral Turkmenistan and Turkmenistan newspapers, Altyn Asyr and Turkmenistan TV channels, as well as the State Information Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH), the OSCE said.
“Media development and reform should be underpinned by the reforms of the relevant national legislation that serves to promote the freedom of the media and freedom of expression,” said Adam Walendzik, project coordinator at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
“In the last several years, Turkmenistan has been undertaking successive steps to reform its media legislation and we believe that this visit will facilitate the exchange of practical experiences of implementing media legislation and developing free media,” Walendzik said.
The delegation from Turkmenistan had meetings with high-level representatives of the Latvian Parliament’s European Affairs Committee and Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee, Foreign and Culture Ministries, the National Electronic Mass Media Council, and the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre, the OSCE said.
According to the OSCE, meetings with representatives from the LETA national news agency, the News Service of the Latvian Public |Service Television, the Delfi Internet portal and Latvijas Avize newspaper familiarized participants with the practical aspects and experience of the Latvian media’s activities.