MOSCOW: The speakers at an international conference in Moscow called for strengthening cooperation and partnerships between the Islamic world and Russia in the field of media to spread the truth and counter misinformation.
The conference, titled “Russia and the Islamic World: Practical Steps in Media Cooperation”, was jointly organized by the Group of Strategic Vision Russia – Islamic World (GSV), the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA), and Sputnik International News Agency.
It was attended by officials of the Russian Federation, the OIC, representatives of regional and international organizations, and journalists from various countries, said a press release received here Friday.
Cooperation needed to counter misinformation
In his video address, Chairman GSV and President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov said that ties between Russia and the Islamic world had been historically famous for their high level of trust and co-op. Calling for collaboration to counter the spread of misinformation, he said cooperation with Muslim countries through mass media was one of the main aspects of Russia’s international policy.
For his part, Grigory Karasin, the Chairman of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, underlined that Russia was a multinational and multi-confessional nation and that its citizens traditionally supported strengthening ties with Islamic countries. He said the conference was aimed at discussing ways to establish equal cooperation between Muslim nations and Russia and to provide citizens with uniform access to truthful, unbiased information through direct collaboration between the Union of OIC News Agencies and major media outlets in Russia.
Cooperation for information support between Russia, OIC
Ramazan Abdulatipov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OIC, recalled the OIC secretary-general’s recent visit to Russia, when “…the main aspects of the interaction between the OIC and Russia were underlined.” He said further “We face the task of providing information support for this important direction of Russia-OIC cooperation.”
UNA Acting Director General Mohammed Abd Rabbo Al-Yami, in his video address, lauded the significant role played by the GSV to enhance long-term cooperation between Islamic countries and Russia. Al-Yami stressed that the conference sought to set practical steps for media cooperation between the two sides. He called on all participating representatives to take advantage of the strengths of the Union as a media body.
The UNA’s neutral international training center brings together 57 members from four continents and has an international news platform in three languages: Arabic, English and French. Russia and the Muslim world were united by longstanding, historical ties and that the United Arab Emirates was proud of its long historical ties with Russia, said Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director General of the Emirates News Agency (WAM). He said that it was necessary for developing a framework for working together towards fraternity and tolerance.
Wajdi Sindi, Director of the Media and Communication Department in the OIC emphasized the importance of establishing strategic partnerships in the field of media with leading media networks in the Russian Federation. He added that the OIC encourages strengthening solidarity and cooperation in media.
Cooperation with Islamic states key priority of Russian foreign policy
Developing cooperation with the Islamic world is one of the most primary priorities of the Russian foreign policy doctrine.
The conference also marked the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the International Video Agency (Ruptly) and the Union of OIC News Agencies, which specializes in providing visual news content.
