(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors - Australia) Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah on Wednesday evening reaffirmed the keenness of GCC leaders to strengthen the cohesiveness among their countries based on common goals and destiny.
In his inaugural speech to the 18th meeting of the chiefs of Gulf Cooperation Council news agencies, Sheikh Salman said that successive GCC summit meetings recommended closer coordination and integration among the GCC wire services which constitute a collective responsibility for us all." "It's an honor for us to shoulder this dear responsibility and to work together towards common goals.
"The exceptional condition in the Arab region and the events in neighboring countries prompt us, as media policymakers, to double our efforts in serving our communities and directing public opinion towards shared interests," he said.
"We in the GCC are bound to cement cooperation and coordination through sharing information, expertise and ideas in a way conducive to the common interests of our peoples," Sheikh Salman pointed out.
He noted that the GCC mass media, notably the news agencies, witnessed a great advancement in the recent years and had a strong presence in, and impressive influence on, regional and international scales. He attributed this advancement to the sincere efforts made on the national levels in modernizing the media outlets capitalizing on the local technical cadres and the word's state-of-the-art technologies.
"The GCC mass media managed in the last two decades to overcome the challenges posed by fierce competition from online media and emerged stronger from this competition, thanks to commitment to authenticity, objectivity and professionalism," he stressed.
Sheikh Salman affirmed that the GCC wire services became one of the most influential media outlets that help bring different peoples closer to each other, back up decision-making and promote socio-economic development.
He took pride in the fact that the GCC have nowadays representatives around the globe who cover the various events timely, objectively and professionally, voicing success for all.
On his part, Abdullah bin Fahd Al-Hussain, President of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), thanked Sheikh Salman for his kind patronage of the meeting which takes place at accelerated developments in the Arab region.
"The GCC wire services have made outstanding achievements on the level of joint action and modernization at the behest of the Their Highnesses the GCC leaders," he pointed out.
Al-Hussain expressed hope that the current meeting will lead to a roadmap for the GCC wire services in addressing the challenges of the 21st century particularly those relating to the information and communication technology revolution.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Du'aij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah, KUNA's Board Chairman and Director General, said this meeting is part of a chain "that aims to augment coordination among the brothers in the region and improve the media discourse." "We seek to keep abreast with the aspirations of our communities for a greater role of the media in serving our societies and amidst the unprecedented and accelerated developments on the regional and international levels.
"Everybody has to realize, and live up to, their responsibilities under the current formidable challenges through effective consultation and constant sharing of expertise," he urged.
Sheikh Mubarak voiced joy for the timing of the meeting which comes days after the UN honoring of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as Humanitarian Leader and of Kuwait as Humanitarian Center.
The meeting, due to continue through Thursday, gathers heads of the GCC news agencies as well as GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Cultural and Information Affairs Khaled Bin Salem Al-Ghassani.
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