Board Chairman and Director General of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Sabah on Monday welcomed heads and directors of GCC news agencies and accompanying delegation taking part in their 18th meeting that will kick off here on Tuesday for three days.
The 9th meeting of the Chiefs of GCC News Agencies will start here tomorrow to discuss means of enhancing technical and engineering cooperation, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij told KUNA on Monday, as the senior media officials have arrived for the gathering.
The Wednesday evening meeting will discuss several key topics on promoting media in the GCC, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij added. The gathering is sponsored by Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, who will also attend.
KUNA Chairman and Director General stressed the importance of continuous consultation and cooperation among the agencies officials to cope with the latest developments on the regional and international levels, and how to deal with them.
He expressed pleasure over the close cooperation among the news agencies in the GCC, urging more efforts to cement it to keep pace with the world media.
Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij stressed the importance of exchanging ideas, expertise and officials' visits among these agencies as well as unifying views and coordinating stances on the international level.
He also underscored that KUNA is ready to offer training to media cadres from all the GCC institutions at the KUNA Center for the Promotion of Media Skills.
The GCC member states own the experience, efficiencies, potential and other elements that qualify the bloc's media to compete on the world level, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij stressed.
For his part, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) Director-General Mohannad Sulaiman Al-Nuaimi told KUNA that the two-day meeting would discuss a host of technical and media files and proposals.
He thanked the State of Kuwait for hosting the meeting, lauding efforts by KUNA Chairman and his support to the media scene in the GCC.
The chiefs of the GCC news agencies are meeting in Kuwait at a time when the region is experiencing various problems and political tension, to be discussed by the meeting, Acting Director General, Editor in Chief of Oman News Agency (ONA), Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al-Araimi, told KUNA.
Al-Araimi emphasized the importance of the meeting to foster cooperation among the GCC member states in the media scene, as well as other fields.
By the same token, Director General of the Qatar News Agency (QNA) Ahmad Saad Al-Buainain said that the meeting of the GCC news agencies chiefs is preceded by technical committee discussions whose recommendations are submitted to the senior officials.
He added that the meeting aims at drawing plans and agreeing on whatever is likely to promote "our institutions and nations." "We are seeking to boost future benefits for our agencies through projects and exchange of experience," Jamal Naser Al-Swuaider, Acting Executive Director of the UAE News Agency (WAM), told KUNA.
He added that they are also aiming at increasing the training courses and workshops among the GCC agencies "to achieve the utmost benefit from our capabilities and potential."