MANAMA: His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has called on Arab press and journalists to adopt firm stances in support of Arab causes, particularly the Palestinian one, and safeguard their countries from the agendas and media rhetoric orchestrated against them.
“In unity lies our strength, and therefore, our policies –as Arab leaders, governments and peoples- should focus on Arab interests and issues,” he said, stressing that the ‘Spring’ which some sides tried to create “has, unfortunately, turned into an ‘autumn’ that has brought about instability and infighting between citizens of the same people.
He urged Arab leaders to assume their responsibilities in maintaining security and stability in such a “vital” region so that its countries enjoy a “real spring”.
This came as HRH Premier received at the Gudaibiya Palace a delegation from the Arab Journalists Union (AJU), led by its Secretary-General Hatem Zakaria, currently on a visit to the Kingdom.
HRH Premier called for the need to understand the developments the Arab region is currently going through in a way that promotes Arab unity so as to preserve Arab countries and maintain their integrity.
He stressed that union, whatever form it takes, strengthens Arab peoples’ cohesion and safeguard Arab countries’ security and stability, noting that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ call to move from the cooperation phase to the Gulf Union, once achieved, will be a source of strength and will benefit the Arab Nation, as a whole.
He affirmed the constructive role played the Arab Journalists Union in consolidating interaction, cooperation and exchange of expertise and knowledge among Arab journalists and media personnel, expressing hope that meetings of Arab journalists will be a catalyst to boost joint Arab action and strengthen the Arab will.
He emphasised that the challenges and threats facing the Arab Nation requires Arab journalist to adopt a media discourse that fosters unity and solidarity and harness all tools to defend crucial Arab causes and address the attempts to sow divide and fragmentation in the region.
He underlined the increasing importance of the role of the journalists, highlighting their pivotal role in shaping the public opinion and enlightening it so that societies maintain their unity and tenacity.
He urged journalists to join ranks and counter smear campaigns targeting the region, calling on Arab columnists to focus on championing Arab causes and motivating Arab peoples to defend their countries’ rights and achievements.
He called upon Arab journalists not to leave any “empty spaces” that may exploited by some sides to distort the truth, spark conflicts and support chaos through disseminating false information aiming at disrupting regional security and stability.
Arab journalists affirmed that thanks to the sound policies adopted by the Government of Bahrain, led by HRH Premier, the kingdom has become an Arab leader in the development and progress fields, noting that contrary to the distorted image projected by some media outlets, Bahrain is prosperous, enjoys democracy and press freedom and lives in security and stability.
They expressed delight at meeting HRH Premier, and praised the progress boom currently witnessed by the kingdom in various fields and the security and stability prevailing in it.
They lauded HRH Premier’s support and appreciation of the role of the press in boosting development efforts, citing his honouring of the Bahraini press pioneers recently.
They backed HRH Premier’s stance on the need to launch the Gulf Union, which, they said, will benefit the Arab Nation and strengthen unity and cohesion among its peoples.
They stressed that the distortion campaigns orchestrated by more than 12o media outlets have proved inaccurate and baseless, pledging to project the real image to their countries and the world and highlight the kingdom’s security and stability.