Bahrain’s HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa yesterday urged GCC countries to adopt a more aggressive media stance against misinformation, calling for a unified media strategy.

"We have every right as GCC states to promote a more pro-active media, instead of relying on a reactive one," he said..

He stressed the importance for the media to be at the forefront in countering hostile campaigns seeking to distort truths and disseminate alien values and concepts which threaten the cohesion of Arabian Gulf societies, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

This came as he received at Gudaibiya Palace the GCC information ministers on the sidelines of their 21st meeting in Bahrain.

"Countries which relied on the strongest armies in the past are turning to their media arsenal to protect their hard-won achievements and stave off threats," HRH the Premier said, urging a unified GCC media capable of carrying strong and clear messages to the world.

He reiterated the call of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who had stressed the necessity to move from the phase of GCC co-operation to that of a fully-fledged union.

"It is not logical that we are still talking of co-operation three decades after the GCC has been established and come of age," he said.

"There is no justification in delaying the establishment of the GCC union to keep pace with fast regional and global challenges," he added.

The Premier called for a joint GCC media strategy, stressing the need to benefit from cutting-edge modern technologies to achieve goals and cope with global trends. – TradeArabia News Service