Representatives of CIS State News Agencies gathered for a meeting in Saint Petersburg

The 34th meeting of the Council of Heads of State News Agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States took place during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026, now ongoing in the Russian Federation’s northern capital.

During the event, representatives from leading news agencies of the member countries, along with officials from the CIS Executive Committee, discussed the current media landscape and several key issues facing their colleagues.

Specifically, participants focused on analyzing the topic “Artificial Intelligence and Journalistic Ethics: best practices and prospects for using AI systems in state news agencies”, and discussed issues related to adherence to professional journalism principles in this field, using the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) activities as an example.

Igor Grigoriev, Head of the Information and Informatization Division of the CIS Executive Committee, shared detailed information on special events scheduled for the Organization’s 35th anniversary, as well as other conferences held within its framework.

The update on the implementation of the Council’s projects, discussed during the meeting and presented by Andrey Kondrashov, Chairman of the Council of Heads of State News Agencies of the CIS and Director General of TASS, along with Boris Grushin, head of the CIS countries sector, generated significant interest among attendees. Additionally, a special photo exhibition celebrating the 35th anniversary of the CIS was showcased during the event.

Following the meeting, it was announced that Kyrgyzstan would host the next Council meeting.

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Gayrat Khonnazarov, UzA

Saint Petersburg, Russia