January 27 (BTA) - The Romanian National News Agency AGERPRES and the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday. BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and AGERPRES Director General Claudia Victoria Nicolae chose to sign the agreement on the day of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighbourliness between Bulgaria and Romania.

In his remarks during the signing, Kiril Valchev said that it was "ridiculous that during those 30 years the national news agencies of Bulgaria and Romania did not have an agreement for exchange of information, and Bulgarians and Romanians have to learn the news from global news agencies."

The agreement provides for unlimited news access.

He added that the two agencies will mark together the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighbourliness in 2022 and are already selecting 30 photos from AGERPRES and BTA of the same events during those 30 years which will be exhibited in Sofia and Bucharest.

"We are also marking together the 145th anniversary of the beginning of the war in 1877 which liberated Bulgaria and gave Romania its independence," Valchev added.

Valchev confirmed that after Skopje in 2022 BTA will have a permanent correspondent in Bucharest too.

For her part Claudia Victoria Nicolae said: "The Friendship Treaty between Romania and Bulgaria was signed in Sofia thirty years ago. Today, the two national news agencies have renewed their collaboration through an agreement signed on January 27 as well, as a symbolic gesture, meant to mark the friendship between the two countries. The agreement has been signed in the confidence that together, through the experience exchange between the two institutions, we can bring plus value to the media space in both countries. Collaboration among news agencies is essential in combating disinformation and the fake news phenomenon."