Iran, Russia emphasize using media capacities

Moscow, Oct 7, IRNA – Iranian and Russian officials in media sectors stressed the need for both countries to use media capacities of respective countries. During the Iran-Russia media cooperation committee meeting which was held online, the deputy for press affairs in the Culture and Islamic Guanidince ministry for media affairs Mohammad Khoddadi noted that Iran and Russia have always had the most commonalities and the least disputes. The two countries face common threats like extremism, sanctions and West's dual standards, he added. He expressed that media can play significant part in bringing people closer and establishing collective security. He also said that Iranians are dealing with coronavirus while they are under US cruel sanctions as well. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, too, stressed the importance of promoting media cooperation between Iran and Russia to fight US’ media conspiracies, saying Iran is ready to develop media cooperation with Russia. "We are gathering together in a situation in which the world is changing and COVID19 has affected different political and economic aspects of the world," he added. Khatibzadeh underlined the importance of promoting the growing world tendencies towards the role of the East from the political and economic aspect and highlighted the the significant role of Iran and Russia in this regard. Referring to the impact of fake news on Iranian and Russian media, he said the image of both countries is of importance for the elite and voiced his ministry's readiness to reinforce cooperation with Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, for her part, said despite the outbreak of coronavirus, Iran and the Russian Federation will develop cooperation in various fields. She also referred to recent visit made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Russia, saying Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov reviewed ways to promote cooperation. She pointed to West's attempts to promote fake news, saying unfortunately Western countries continue to release fake news in time of COVID19. In the meantime, deputy minister Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia sympathized with victims of coronavirus in Iran and referred to defensive and security cooperation between Iran and Russia as an important topic in Russian media. He noted that the Caspian Sea Littoral States media conference will be held this year and Iran will be invited to this meeting. Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali, for his part, stressed commonalities between Iran and Russia in fighting unilateralism, extremism and occupation. He underlined the important role of media in creating mutual understanding between two nations. Jalali hailed the important role of Iran-Russia media cooperation and called for more regular meetings. The Iranian diplomat appreciated Russian Federation’s stance in the UNSC against US' unilateralism, saying undoubtedly political relations between the two countries will continue if economic and cultural ties support it. Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Mohammad Reza Noruzpour who had also attended the event said that IRNA will soon have a joint collaboration with Russia's Sputnik news agency in late October to exchange experiences in the face of the pandemic outbreak. He said a webinar will be held for journalists from both news agencies soon to enable them to share views and exchange experiences. IRNA will do its utmost to help counter the dominance of the Western media, as it has always been a forerunner in communicating, interacting and cooperating with Russian news agencies and media outlets in other fields, he added. The two nations of Russia and Iran have made great efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and develop all-out relations, he said. Stressing both sides' strong resolve to that end, Norouzpour said despite all achievements so far, they are still far from meeting all expectations and what should happen. Describing the role of the two countries' media in strengthening of bilateral relations as vital and significant, he said that both Iran and Russia have been under attack by Western media, including the US, for years, and there have been widespread plans to create Iranophobia and Russophobia in social media and networks. Referring to 85-year-old archive of IRNA, he said IRNA is ready to sign MoU with all Russian media including news agencies, newspapers, radio and TV networks. We believe that cooperation and synergy in media field will reinforce political, economic and cultural relations and increase mutual understanding, IRNA chief said. He urged Iranian and Russian media to establish mutual cooperation in fighting fake news. Iran does not allow some people to bring terrorists to our border points under the pretext of fighting them in Syria for many years. In the meantime, Deputy head of IRIB for international affairs Peyman Jebelli suggested creating administrative infrastructures for making joint programs and news packages.