His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, today at Gudaiybia Palace met the directors of the Arab news agencies taking part in the 42nd annual meeting of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA).
During the meeting, His Royal Highness highlighted the important role played by the media in shaping regional and international events. He particularly praised the Gulf and Arab news agencies for their professionalism and high journalistic standards.
In this regard, His Royal Highness stressed the importance of further bolstering coordination in the media industry to increase opportunities and development throughout the region. His Royal Highness expressed the hope that FANA’s meeting would enrich the media profession in the Arab world. He then underlined the importance of the FANA meeting to the development of news agencies and media outlets, especially given the technological breakthroughs in the sector and the emergence of new communication channels in light of these advances.
His Royal Highness went on to praise the commitment of the various news and media outlets to the freedom of the press whilst recognising the cultural ideals of their communities. His Royal Highness stressed that Arab news agencies should highlight the unity of the people in the region in confronting the various challenges ahead and aspire towards greater cooperation within the Arab world.
His Royal Highness highlighted the importance of the media sector to supporting inter-Arab ties and reinforcing Arab identity as essential to promoting principles of peace and stability amongst all the people of the Arab world.
For their part, the directors of the Arab news agencies expressed their gratitude to His Royal Highness for receiving them and for the support he has given to the Arab media sector. They also expressed their appreciation for the warm reception and hospitality they had received during their stay in the Kingdom, including the hosting of their successful conference. The Minister of State for Information Affairs and the Government's Official Spokesperson, H.E. Sameera Ebrahim bin Rajab, also attended the meeting.