Omani-european press forum kicks off in Paris
PARIS: The Omani-european Press Forum, “Bridges of Journalistic, Literary and Artistic Communication”, began at the Unesco headquarters in Paris on Monday
In his speech, Moez Chakchouk, Assistant Director-general of the Unesco for Communication and Information, said that the forum is part of strengthening the Omani-french cultural exchange and relations. He thanked the Omani Journalists Association (OJA) and the Sultanate’s Embassy for organising this forum at the Unesco headquarters.
Dr Mohammed bin Mubarak al Araimi, OJA Chairman, said: “This forum is the first for OJA abroad. OJA decided to hold the forum in the French capital of Paris at the Unesco headquarters coinciding with the Sultanate’s celebration of the 48th Glorious National Day which we all Omanis cherish, are proud of it because it has restored to Oman its glory and great history.” He added that the Omani-european Press Forum will hold similar programmes across the five continents of the world, starting with Europe given the great position of the European press in the world scene and its impact on the global media landscape.
On the sidelines of the forum, an exhibition of 70 pictures featuring the beauty of Oman, was held. The photos are taken by OJA member photographers and photographers from Europe.
The forum opening session was attended by Ghazi bin Said al Rowas, Sultanate’s Ambassador to the French Republic, journalists, researchers from Oman, France and other European countries. Ambassador Rowas hailed the Oman Journalists Association (OJA) for organising the forum. ‘‘We look forward with great interest to the role played by OJA in organising the meetings and events in the coming stage, not only in France, but also in other countries to present the civilisation, history, tourism and culture of Oman.”
He said the forum is also an opportunity for 50 Omani journalists participating to see a lot of historical and tourist attractions, as well as visit some of the French media organisations. He noted the interest of the Sultanate’s Embassy in Paris to support such meetings, pointing out that the Omani-french relations are more than 280 years old, and these relations developed further after His Majesty Sultan Qaboos’s visit of France in 1989.