EANA Spring Conference

Dear colleagues,

Allow me to welcome you here in Agia Napa, this very famous resort, with rich historical roots as well as beautiful golden beaches.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the CNA I wish you all, a very good stay here in Cyprus, wishing every success to the EANA Spring Conference of 2017.

The Cyprus News Agency was officially established in 1976 and in 1984, expanded its activities by hiring a group of journalists.

In 1989, the Cyprus House of Representatives approved legislation providing the status of a “semi-governmental” news organization, with full editorial independence.

Under its Constitution, CNA is governed by  a seven-member Board of Directors comprising established media professionals.

This provision makes sense within the industry. With this in mind we have already proposed some changes to the Ministry of Interior so as to give more emphasis to the broadening of this autonomous identity.

The Board includes representatives of the Cyprus Journalists Union, the Cyprus Newspaper and Magazine Publishers Association, the PIO and the CyBC.

This form of governing is safequarding its impartiality, protecting at the same time its structure as credible source of information.

In 2002, CNA introduced news in Turkish, a press release service and its own photo service offering local coverage of news events.

In 2012 CNA launched three new web pages in Greek, English and Turkish.

The same year, as part of its policy for more openness to the citizens, CNA began transmitting news bulletins in Greek and English, under the titles “TEN” and “CNA NEWS”, respectively.

In 2015 started producing video service materials. In the same year we updated the social media department, thus, completing our main goals regarding the modernization of our technological platform.

CNA has signed cooperation agreements and protocols with many local Universities, institutions and trade unions.
The agency transmits daily news items in Greek, English and Turkish. Greek and Turkish are the official languages of the Cyprus Republic.

Soon,   CNA starts producing news items in Arabic, which would be a big achievement for CNA as a small agency. By completing this webpage we inspire to open new ways of cooperation with many of the Arabic agencies.

Dear colleagues,

The Media Industry faces its own unique challenges. Let me make a quick reference of its agenda.
The widening tendency on attacking the Media for political purposes,
The serious issue regarding fake news,
“New journalism” in the form of free access to everyone,
The pending issue of copy right,
The need for more cooperation among ourselves,
The increasing need for more sharing of our expertise on the field of technological expansion, including the use of drones and robotic cameras in this regards.
An environment of competitiveness is a must to drive us to a more results-oriented practices .

Our closer cooperation is the only way to increase our credibility, to send a clear message that the fight for producing and promoting credible news stories, is not just a priority, it is the definition of our mission as media protagonists.

Apart from the CNA activities allow me to say few words about the recent developments on the Cyprus issue.

The two leaders President Anastasiades and t/c leader M. Akinci, the key-figures of the new phase of talks, have completed two years of discussions. Very soon, most probably by the end of June we will see what would be the final results since the talks enter in a very crucial timeframe.

Dear friends,

Cyprus has, during its historical course, suffered a lot due to its geographical position. Just get a look at the Middle East map, very close to Syria, to the ISIS neighborhood, to the core of the Middle East issue, well known as the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Cyprus long period of loneliness ended in 2004 since Cyprus became a full member of the EU.

The majority of Cypriot people believe in this project.

People see the EU as a catalyst guiding us to overcome the nowadays challenges, the end of the occupation of Cyprus north in a way the UN parameters refers to. The EU is setting the frame, it is up to us to transform this frame into a fair workable way of solving the Cyprus issue.

The UN and the EU working together would promote a common project of all Cypriots-Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and the Latin community.

This is our vision:
Cyprus, an island belonging to its people, an island of stability, prosperity and cooperation.

Thus, Cyprus would become a bacon of peace for itself, the whole region and at the same time presenting a paradigm of a workable, multicultural society, adopting the EU` s fundamental values.

LARKOS LARKOU, CHAIRMAN OF CNA´S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AYIA NAPA, MAY 17-19, 2017

OPENING REMARKS