Saudi-UAE Media Committee Discusses Mechanisms of Joint Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019
Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019
TT

Saudi-UAE Media Committee Discusses Mechanisms of Joint Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019
Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019

The Joint Committee for Media Cooperation of the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council held Monday a meeting in Abu Dhabi.

The meeting aimed at developing and bolstering media strategies and activating joint programs, plans, and initiatives that meet the aspirations of the leadership and peoples of both countries.

It was held under the chairmanship of Saudi Minister of Media Turki al-Shabana and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan al-Jaber.

Parties discussed various joint media initiatives and programs that target uniting efforts to shed light on both countries’ positive image and developing and boosting media content, thus contributing to consolidating and enhancing joint action.

The Committee is part of the Saudi-UAE integration system in a number of developmental areas, activating the joint vision between the two countries and intensifying bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest.

It is one of seven joint integration committees that were established to implement a number of strategic and development initiatives and projects to achieve prosperity for both peoples.

The joint committees support uniting visions and ideas to create a better future for citizens in both countries and overcome obstacles in various areas to achieve common goals.

“We seek bolstering bonds of cooperation between us and supporting the media sector through a number of programs and projects that will contribute to the sector’s development,” Shabana said.

He added that the committee will also work on improving the quality of production between the two countries in a way that contributes to raising the level of audio-visual media work and the efficiency and competitiveness of social media.

“The presented initiatives provide us with a good vision towards the future of bilateral cooperation and help increase investment in the media sector,” the Minister explained.

Among the initiatives’ goals are stimulating the media market and understanding the habits of media behavior through the audience and developing it, he said.

Shabani noted that unifying the media message is of great importance and could be achieved through joint initiatives and events that strengthen the bonds between citizens of the two countries.



Israel, Hamas Reach Ceasefire Agreement Designed to End 15-Month Gaza War, Official Says

 This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke plumes rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke plumes rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
TT

Israel, Hamas Reach Ceasefire Agreement Designed to End 15-Month Gaza War, Official Says

 This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke plumes rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke plumes rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on January 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an official briefed on the deal told Reuters on Wednesday, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.

The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the United States, and came just ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting more than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the narrow coastal enclave a wasteland of rubble, with hundreds of thousands surviving the winter cold in tents and makeshift shelters.

As his inauguration approached, Trump repeated his demand that a deal be done swiftly, warning repeatedly that there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages were not released. His Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff worked with President Joe Biden's team to push the deal over the line.

In Israel, the return of the hostages may ease some of the public anger against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government over the Oct. 7 security failure that led to the deadliest single day in the country's history.

The conflict spread across the Middle East, with Iran-backed proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen attacking Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians. The deal comes after Israel killed the top leaders of Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah in assassinations which gave it the upper hand.