Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, said under the accelerating regional developments that need to be urgently addressed, the Gulf official and private media institutions are required to promote values of common identity and belonging to the unified Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) entity. 

The Deputy Prime Minister today patronized the fourth Arabian Gulf Political Media forum, organized by Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD) under the theme "Media and Gulf Identity". 

Shaikh Khalid said press and media figures are constantly expected to converge views among peoples, disseminate concepts of unity, cooperation and common destiny, as well as focusing on promoting the common entity (Gulf citizenship) and to warn of the risk of their contrary concepts, sectarianism, hatred, discourse and disavowing identity. He called for joint efforts to support the Gulf identity. 

He called for holding specialized conferences to discuss specific issues, such as the identity and the influence of social, political and economic factors on it. 

He hailed the Information Affairs Minister, BIPD Board Chairman Ali bin Mohammed Al-Romaihi and staff for their efforts in organizing the forum that aims to develop a media discourse to counter the challenges of globalization through the consolidation of a Gulf media discourse that believes in a common identity and rejects the sub-identities threatening social stability. 

Deputy Prime Minister then honoured the winners of the third Gulf Political Media forum, held on the press contributions to the culture of civil peace, including journalist Shaikha Hussa Al-Hamood Al-Salem Al-Sabah from Kuwait, Dr. Abdulhameed Al-Ansari from Qatar and Ubaidly Al-Ubaidly from Bahrain.