Dubai: Riyadh will host tomorrow, Thursday, the second meeting of the Arab negotiating team with international media companies, which includes media experts from Jordan, the Emirates, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco, in addition to the media and communication sector at the Arab League and the Arab States Broadcasting Union, in implementation of the decision of the Council of Arab Information Ministers.
Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Media and Communication Sector at the Arab League, said that the meeting – which lasts for 3 days – will complete the negotiation plan with international media companies, the broad outlines of which were set at the Jordan meeting and approved at the 54th session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers in Manama.
He added that the plan aims to protect Arab digital interests, including imposing a digital tax on international companies, defending the Palestinian cause, protecting personal data, preserving cultural a
nd societal values, and confronting misleading news.
Al-Khattabi pointed out the importance of the meeting in building Arab digital sovereignty, stressing that the digital economy, including the activity of international media companies, now constitutes 15.5% of the global GDP, and is expected to double in the coming years.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency