President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has affirmed that Egypt fully backs the Federation of Arab Journalists' (FAJ) role in supporting journalism and Arab readers.
El-Sisi's remarks came during his meeting on Sunday with the members of the new General Secretariat of FAJ, headed by Moayad Al-Lami, the president of the federation and the head of the Iraqi Journalists’ Syndicate.
Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian Syndicate of Journalists and the honorary president of FAJ, and Karam Gabr, head of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, El-Sisi also praised the development of Egyptian-Iraqi relations on all levels and hailed FAJ’s role in advancing Arab media and unifying the media discourse.
El-Sisi also highlighted the need for Arab journalism in particular to continue modernizing its role and to adapt, especially in light of the challenges to journalism posed by the wide spreading of social media, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.
The president affirmed the need for journalism to strike a balance between the requirements of competitiveness and the depth and objectivity that characterize journalistic work.
El-Sisi also affirmed that journalism should contribute to developing a serious and effective vision to tackle the common challenges facing Arab countries, most importantly achieving peace, stability, and comprehensive economic and social development.
He highlighted the importance of words as a great responsibility due to its impact on shaping public awareness and people’s minds.
El-Sisi affirmed the importance of collaborative Arab effort in dealing with existing crises and in focusing the efforts aiming to resolve them peacefully. He stressed the importance of promoting the vital interests of Arab peoples and conserving their resources at a time when the global system faces so many challenges.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
