Russian Ambassador Georgiy Borisenko and spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation Maria Zakharova open the forum
Located in Dokki, Cairo, the Russian House hosted on 11 June the first Russian-Egyptian Media Forum under the title of "The Status of the Egyptian and African Media in the Perspective of the Changing Global Media".
The forum is held in conjunction with the second Russia-Africa summit, due to take place from 26 to 29 July in the Russian city of St. Petersburg under the slogan "Technology and Security in the Name of Sovereign Development for the Good of Mankind".
The forum was attended by the Russian Ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko, and an array of journalists from leading media outlets in the two countries, including the Head of RT-Arabic TV, Maya Mannaa; the Executive Director of TeN TV Nashat El-Dihi; and the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Shorouk newspaper Emad El-Din Hussein, together with representatives of scientific and social circles and eminent experts.
The guests of honour included the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Ahmed Abu-Zeid; the Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Egyptian Media Regulation, Saleh El-Salhi; the Director-General of the Federation of News Agencies in the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Mohamed Al-Yami; and the Director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs Ezzat Saad.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, delivered the welcome speech.
She asserted that Moscow will closely study the results of the consultations and suggested that these consultations continue, within the framework of the relevant session in the upcoming Russian-African summit, to develop effective mechanisms for equal cooperation in the field of public communications.
During the forum, El-Hussein Ba, a special guest from Senegal, introduced the first African social network, One Africa, which he founded.
The network includes five platforms with different orientations; it has more than 650,000 subscribers.
During the forum, Farit Mukhametshin – the Vice-Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation – gave a speech.
In the speech, Mukhametshin wished the speakers fruitful work and pointed out the valuable role of national media in protecting people from aggressive foreign propaganda.
He also emphasized that Russia is keenly interested in coordinating effectively with its Arab and African partners on this issue, particularly in combating the spread of extremist and terrorist thoughts.
The participants in the forum discussed the prospects for cooperation between the local and regional media in light of political transformations.
They also discussed using press tools to promote the interests of African countries with the support of Russia.
In conclusion, the participants in the forum exchanged views on the possibilities of linking new forms of media work, including the Internet, to combat information challenges.
They also discussed the positive role the upcoming Russian-African summit will play in holding a dialogue in the global media field.
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