As part of the ongoing KazanForum 2024 summit in Kazan on May 15, was held a media expert session dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “Main trends in the transformation of the information field in the modern world and OIC countries”. The venue was the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center.
The speakers in the plenary part of the session: Director General of the Union of OIC News Agencies Mohammed Al Yami; Deputy Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World” Farit Mukhametshin; Head of the Republican Agency for Press and Mass Communications "Tatmedia" Aidar Salimgaraev, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Turko Daudov; Director of the Information Department of the OIC Abdulhamid Al-Salihi; Head of the Department of International Relations of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography Allamurat Archaev.
Aidar Salimgaraev greeted and expressed gratitude to all participants, especially the Union of OIC News Agencies for their support of common initiatives and attention to the ongoing forum. The speaker recalled that the Republic of Tatarstan is a gateway for dialogue between different civilizations, and its capital - Kazan, is increasingly becoming a venue for major international events. The acquisition of federal status by these events indicates Russia’s readiness to build trusting relationships with the countries of the Islamic world.
“It’s important to note that the media are the driving force behind partnerships between countries”, - Aidar Salimgaraev emphasized and noted that a new agreement between Russian and foreign media had already been concluded. The head of Tatmedia expressed the hope that the media session will become a platform for developing joint initiatives and practical action plans in the field of infrastructure cooperation between Russia and the OIC countries.
Next greeting for participants of session was from Mohammed Al Yami, who confirmed the common desire of Russia and the OIC to strengthen ties between the news agencies of the states. The speaker specifically focused on the situation around Palestine. “Against the backdrop of Israeli aggression against Palestine, it’s necessary to strengthen media cooperation with OIC countries to prevent biased judgments on the part of some news agencies”, - Al Yami emphasized. According to him, it’s necessary to use the information space for cultural exchange, which, in turn, would help the further development of interfaith dialogue.
Deputy Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World” Farit Mukhametshin said in his speech that the OIC, which includes 57 countries, is the second largest international organization after the UN. The result of the joint efforts of Russia and the OIC was cooperation in the exchange of relevant thematic materials and holding master classes, which is being implemented by leading Russian media companies together with the Union of Information Agencies of the OIC. “Of course, one of the most important areas of our activity is to join forces in the information field in order to resist monopoly ownership and manipulation of the flow of news. The development of media companies in the countries of the Global South provides a great impetus for diversification and the formation of multipolarity in the media sphere”, - noted Mukhametshin.
Separately, he pointed out the upcoming meeting of the GSV “Russia - Islamic World” headed by the Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, within the framework of “KazanForum 2024” on May 16. The meeting is planned to discuss new opportunities for interaction between Russia and Muslim countries in the context of a rapidly changing political situation in the world and new challenges at the international level; discussion of approaches to the joint formation of a fair multipolar world order and safe development. Considering the current aggravation of international tension and the military-political crisis in the Middle East, the humanitarian and political issues of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation will also be touched upon. Well-known public and government figures, authoritative clergy and politicians, experts from Russia and countries of the Islamic world, and ambassadors of OIC countries working in Moscow were invited to participate in the meeting. The main report will be made by the Chairman of the GSV “Russia - Islamic World” Rustam Minnikhanov.
“In his greeting to the forum participants, Russian President Vladimir Putin notes that the country’s leadership attaches great importance to the next meeting of the GSV with the participation of representatives of the OIC”, - noted Farit Mukhametshin. “A new, fair multipolar world order, the formation of a common future to increase the level of well-being and security of citizens can only be achieved through the joint activities of the countries of the world community and international organizations. It remains necessary to preserve the traditional characteristics of each state. Russia and the countries of the Islamic world have the necessary potential and ample opportunities for cooperation and interaction in this area”, - Farit Mukhametshin emphasized.
Abdulhamid Al-Salihi, Director of the Information Department of the OIC, spoke about the implementation of many projects in the field of media, developed out of the need for cooperation not only in the Islamic world, but also beyond its borders. Al-Salihi also drew attention to the Department's promotion of a number of initiatives to combat Islamophobia and other challenges of today that plague the Islamic religion and Muslims around the world, including the preparation of weekly reports that objectively cover the Palestinian problem. “Our organization is one of the leaders in the development of the SMM sphere”, - noted Al-Salihi and called the main goal of cooperation in the information sphere to strengthen partnerships between the OIC and Russia.
Due to Turko Daudov's busy work schedule, he was unable to attend the event. The Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OIC, Natalya Taratynova, spoke on his behalf, reminding the participants that for more than 20 years Russia has been an observer country in the OIC. Taratynova spoke about the active development of cooperation in the cultural and sports fields, in the field of countering international terrorism, on women's issues and on promoting traditional Muslim and Christian values. The speaker also noted the important role of the GSV “Russia – Islamic World” in interaction with the Muslim world and the great contribution to the development of Russian-Islamic relations in the Muslim regions of Russia.
In his welcoming speech, Allamurat Archaev spoke about the extensive cooperation of Turkmenistan in the field of media with organizations of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Türkiye. After his speech, Farit Mukhametshin announced the participation of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the upcoming meeting of the GSV “Russia - Islamic World” on May 16.
The plenary part of the session ended with a presentation of the launch and prospects of the Global South Agency, which was conducted by Ekaterina Mavrenkova, content director of the video news agency Viory.