Attended by Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance the 18th general assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) official begun its work in the capital Tehran on Monday.

Around 60 senior directors, managers, and editors from 35 OANA member-states are present at the two-day general assembly of OANA and will discuss various topics, including the development and strengthening of media cooperation.

Three Iranian news agencies - Mehr News, Fars News and Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) are members of the organization. The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) voted in favor of IRNA's nomination for the presidency at the 17th General Assembly meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies is an association of news agencies from UNESCO member states in the Asia-Pacific region. It was previously known as the Organization of Asian News Agencies. It was formed in 1961 on UNESCO's initiative.

The organization covering two-thirds of the world population has now 43 members from 35 countries in Asia and Oceania.

Iran, as a long-standing member, was the rotating president from 1997 to 2000.