The Ministers of the Information of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries held their 25th meeting here today. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Minister of Commerce and Acting Minister of Media of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the current session, and in the presence of Minister of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi; Minister of Information Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi; Minister of Information of the Sultanate of Oman Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al Harrasi; CEO of Qatar Media Corporation Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Thani bin Khalid Al Thani, and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information of the State of Kuwait Mohammed Bader bin Naji, with the participation of Secretary General of the GCC Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al Hajraf. The Ministers extended their sincere thanks, gratitude and appreciation to Their Majesties and Highnesses the Leaders of the GCC states for their wise guidance and their keenness to advance the journey of joint media work and common cooperative affairs to boost cooperation and integration among the GCC states in order to meet the desired sustainable development targets and enhance regional and global security and stability. The Ministers reviewed a number of important common issues in the media field, foremost of which is the implementation of the decisions issued by the Supreme Council and the Ministerial Council. They also discussed the strategic plan for joint media cooperation in the GCC countries (2023-2030), and the results of the meetings of the specialised committees in the media fields. In this context, the Ministers approved the various programmes and joint projects presented on the agenda, including the radio and television programmes produced by the GCC states. They also approved cooperation projects between news agencies, electronic media and cooperation in the field of external media, as well as coordination and cooperation in technical and engineering fields related to reception and broadcasting channels and media. The Ministers also discussed the report submitted by the Gulf Radio and Television Corporation, and the report of the Joint Programme Production Corporation of the GCC, and took decisions related to the projects and plans of the two institutions and the promotion of their media mission within the joint Gulf media work system. The Ministers touched on what happened in the previous period in terms of some international digital platforms violating content and advertising controls in a way that is inconsistent with religious and moral values in the GCC countries. The Ministers praised the statement issued by electronic media officials and the agreement on a unified position towards these platforms in the GCC countries in a unified manner to confront platforms that contradict religious and moral values, and to focus on preserving the family, its cohesion and development, as it is the natural and essential unit of society, its progress and prosperity. The Ministers of Information in the GCC countries affirmed their denunciation and rejection of all systematic and malicious media campaigns directed against the GCC countries. They also congratulated the State of Qatar, its leadership, government and people on the launch of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and on the historic opening, which reflects the great and distinguished efforts made by the State of Qatar in the great preparation and wonderful organisation of this distinguished historical event. They congratulated the leadership, government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the historic victory of the Saudi national team against the Argentine national team, which reflects the creative capabilities of the players of the Saudi national team, wishing them continued success in the journey of the World Cup.
