AKIPRESS.COM - Media development and reform were in focus of an OSCE-organized study visit to Latvia that concluded on June 22 for six representatives of Turkmenistan’s print and broadcast media and the Mejlis (Parliament).

Organized in close cooperation with the Latvian Foreign Ministry, the three-day visit familiarized the delegation from Turkmenistan with Latvia’s experiences in implementing media reforms and enhancing national legislation in line with international standards and requirements of the modern media environment.

“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 Center 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,” he 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 Center.

Meetings with representatives from the national news agency LETA, the News Service of the Latvian Public Service Television, the Internet portal Delfi and newspaper Latvijas Avize familiarized participants with the practical aspects and experiences of the Latvian media’s activities.

The delegation members included a member of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, representatives from newspapers Neytralniy Turkmenistan and Turkmenistan, TV channels Altyn Asyr and Turkmenistan, as well as the State Information Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH).