RIYADH: Five ministers from GCC countries including Qatari State Minister for Defense H E Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Atiyyah attended “Tweeps 2016” forum organized in Riyadh on Monday by the Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (MISK).
“Any attempt to silence Twitter is a losing cause,” Dr Al Attiyah said.
“I post my tweets by myself and I don’t regret any tweet I posted,” he added.
The major session of the forum was allocated for the five ministers, who spoke about the impact of social media, notably Twitter, on relations between officials and citizens, a report in Arab News said.
The major session of the forum was attended by Qatari State Minister for Defense H E Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Atiyyah, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Kuwaiti State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir.
“Social media has made every citizen an integrated media corporation,” Al Jubeir said.
“Fake accounts encourage “hatred and racism” and ignite extremism,” Al Nahyan said.
Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, attended the main session of the forum.
“In twitter no place for nationalities because all users belong to one society,” Al Khalifa.
“Absolute freedom is destructive and must be challenged,” Al Sabah said.
During the session, the Gulf ministers emphasized that the ceiling of freedom enjoyed by social media users in the Arab Gulf region is "high", pointing to the need for controls that must be adhered to by all users as lines must not be crossed, ranging from religious beliefs or insulting the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PUBH) and national symbols.
The Peninsula
