A presentation of a new project aimed at expanding cooperation between ministerial press centers and media was given in Dushanbe on June 25.     

Developed with the Assistance of President’s Executive Office under support of the European Union Delegation to Tajikistan, the project is being implemented by the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan and the Asia-Plus Media Group.   

Participants of the meeting, dedicated to the launch of the project, discussed importance of efficiency of work of press centers and their collaboration with journalists and their role in coverage of government bodies’ activities.  

The meeting participants included representatives of ministries and agencies, diplomatic missions, heads of journalistic organizations, representatives of media and press centers.  

The main objective of the project is in providing the population with timely and reliable information, and its implementation involves expansion of cooperation between press centers and the media, training press centers personnel in modern work standards and creation of favorable conditions for effective cooperation between spokespersons and journalists.  

“I hope that these sessions and roundtables will be effective and that the project will help strengthen the relationship between press centers and the media to provide the public with accurate and reliable information," shared Manizha Anvari, Executive Director of the Asia-Plus Media Group.

Shohin Samadi, Head of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, also believes that expansion of cooperation between press centers and journalists will be beneficial for both sides.

According to Mr. Raimundas Karoblis, the Head of Delegation and Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan, the well-established relationships between government bodies and the media benefit the government and the entire society of Tajikistan.  He cited the border conflict between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in September 2022 as an example.

"During the conflict, Kyrgyzstan was more active in cooperating with its media than Tajikistan. As a result, Kyrgyz media provided ten times more information than Tajik media.  Consequently, the Kyrgyz interpretation of the conflict was accepted by the international community almost as an undisputed truth, which was not in Tajikistan's interests," Ambassador Karoblis added.

Bahmanyor Nadirov, Editorial Director of the Asia-Plus Media Group, stated that timely and high-quality socially significant information plays a key role in modern society and increases public trust in government agencies.

“Our government agencies must timely and clearly present their activities.  During crises, events should be immediately explained to the public using various platforms. But this is impossible until press centers are active in cooperating with the media,” he said.

Project plan and implementation

As part of the project, from July to December 2024, six roundtables and five training sessions will be organized, involving representatives from 30 government institutions, experts, and journalists.  After completing all the events, conclusions and proposals for improving the work of press centers and their cooperation with the media will be presented to President’s Executive Office.

Expected outcomes

The initiative aims to: 1) enhance the flow of accurate and reliable information from government press centers to the media; 2) improve the overall transparency and communication of government activities to the public; 3) ensure timely dissemination of information during crises to avoid misinformation and manage public perception effectively; and 4) foster a collaborative environment between government press centers and journalists to better serve the interests of the public and the state.

Through these efforts, Tajikistan aims to create a more informed and engaged society, with strengthened trust between the public and government institutions.