MEDIA PROFESSIONALS TO PROMOTE PEACEFUL REGION

Media representatives from Turkey and 54 African countries have declared their determination to make concerted efforts to ensure a peaceful region for their people as well as a stable and prosperous world. This was part of their final declaration at the end of a two-day Turkey-Africa Media Forum 2012 held in Ankara from May 9-10 2012.

Participants at the forum initiated by the Directorate General of Press and Information of Turkey (DGPI) with the support of the African Media Initiative (AMI) included representatives from the public and private media organizations as well as scholars.

In the final declaration issued at the end of the forum, the media professionals said:

'As the media representatives of the Afro-Eurasia landmass,

* We commit to leverage the power of media to establish a common future for the countries in the region and promote human development and economic prosperity of our peoples.

* We share the ideal of building a peaceful world, of shaping its future with democratic values, and embracing a cross-cultural spirit of tolerance and brotherhood.

*We underline the importance of freedom of the press as a principle highlighted in all documents that deal with contemporary values, ranging from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Helsinki Final Act.

*We believe that promoting solidarity among media representatives of participating countries will boost regional and international cooperation and reinforce their democratic culture.

* As media delegates to this forum, we publicly declare our will and determination to work towards this goal, as we believe that our common ideals will be realized faster through robust and sustained relations amongst media organizations of our countries.

*In order to constantly keep communication channels open, we are launching a joint platform to institutionalize regional media consultations and promote our common interests.

*Media representatives present at this Forum agree to establish a journalist exchange program under the auspices of the DGPI and AMI. Further the two institutions commit to explore the creation of a mechanism to facilitate African media houses to access equipment and other resources to develop the African media industry.