Manama: Bahrain’s Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa said that the UAE was a shining example of a union in the Arabian Gulf.
“We are looking forward to a Gulf union that would reinforce our cooperation,” Prince Khalifa said. “Unions are successful in the Gulf and the UAE offers a shining testimony to that,” the prime minister said as he received the board members of the Gulf Press Union who were holding their sixth meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama.
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates established in December 1971.
Prince Khalifa said that Saudi Arabia was the most credible, the most reliable and the strongest partner of the Arab and Islamic nations thanks to its global status and clout.
The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have become well aware of the ambitions and challenges that beset their countries and dealt with them wisely, he added.
“They succeeded in protecting their nations and peoples from the conspiracies targeting us, and turned the GCC into an oasis of security and stability in a turbulent world,” he said as he stressed the need for the media to bring positions and peoples closer and to avoid causing discord and division.
“The media have a huge responsibility to help achieve and safeguard the higher interests of our countries because they are the first line of defence,” he said.
Prince Khalifa urged journalists to “benefit from the advantages offered by social media platforms to convey genuine Gulf messages.
“Using these platforms will optimize our opportunities to convey messages of unity and togetherness and denies those who want to attack us the chance to target us. We do have a string media, but we want to expand it internationally in order to make sure that the voice of the GCC reaches the highest number of people,” he said.
Prince Khalifa said that the media in the Gulf should disregard “sounds of cacophony” as they “delay and hinder our forward-looking movement.”
“The attempts to our region are still going on and we must remain vigilant and keep up our efforts to tackle them. The media in this regard has a crucial role and its impact reaches well beyond borders,” he said.
“Changes are occurring at a high speed and the fast developments that unfold in the region and in the world require a high degree of concentration and a high quality of journalists who possess a deep sense of awareness and understanding and can appreciate the dimensions and aspects of the events. Such journalists are capable of providing insights into these events to the public and help them appreciate the significance of adhering to unity and cohesion and to avoid sedition and division in order to preserve the security of our nations and to boost their achievements.”
