Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, opposition forces and Western powers have exploited various types of media to distort facts. The significance and power of media in the ongoing crisis in Syria provided the impetus for conducting an interview with the Syrian Information Minister Turgemanwho previously served as director of the Public Authority for Radio and Television.
Turgeman holds optimistic views towards performance of the Resistance Media who has managed to counteract malicious plots hatched by misleading media despite various types of challenges including satellite restrictions imposed against certain Syrian channels.
The following is the interview the current Syrian Minister of Information Mohammed Ramez Turgeman had with Maraya International magazine:
How did the misleading information warfare embraced by the enemy influence the political and military developments in Syria? Is the Syrian Media machine capable of confronting this challenge?
During the war on Syria, the misleading media played a significant role by twisting and distorting facts, which further exacerbated the crisis and disturbed People. The media of Syria then had to involve in a war of different aspects: political, social, military, and service. Thus, it was necessary to form a Resistance Media Front to counter the pro-terrorism Western Media propaganda armed with money, equipment and experts. Unfortunately, this deceptive media had negative and destructive effects by causing division among societies. However, the faith in media has been restored. The Syrian media, backed by Hezbollah media, the Islamic Radio and Television Union and Russia, achieved significant steps on different levels. Objectivity speaking, the Resistance Media won the "Battle of Word". We succeeded in affecting the Arab and Syrian viewers; this disturbed the hostile powers which tried to cancel off our channels on Satellites, the latest was closing Al-Manar Channel on Nilesat and Arabsat.
How long will the Resistance Media remain restrained by the Satellites owned by Saudi Arabia or America? Why don’t you launch your own Satellite to protect the Resistance Media?
This is extremely important, several meetings were held with Director General of Al-Manar Channel along with Head of Islamic Radio and Television Union, Sheikh Ali Karimyan. It was agreed to move on this project in cooperation with Russia. Practical and useful steps have already been taken in this regard. Since the beginning of this war, the terrorists targeted the Syrian Media Centers and its cadres across the country.
The attack also targeted the Syrian Media experts, forcing many of them to leave the country. Do you have any intention to bring them back to the Country?
In fact, many of those have been subject to threat, abduction, financial temptations or harassment. We wholeheartedly welcome whoever wants to join our media front.
After Six Years of a global war, what's your vision to develop the Media of Syria?
First and foremost, we need to bridge the gap between Syrian viewers and media based on credibility and transparency, in order for the media to serve as a link between the Syrian people and officials. To this end, several actions have been already made, including that our national media outlets must be the first to report about Syrian events while maintaining credibility.
Do you consider launching a joint Media Front which includes all pro-Resistance Media Institutions?
In Fact, this Front was automatically formed during war. We are coordinating our objectives and roles via Social Media and other tools, so cooperation is maintained on a daily basis. However, each institution must keep its particularity and goals. We lack marketing for our Media abroad, so we are receiving Foreign Media delegations, connecting them with special social media pages to address them in a moderate language in order to genuinely reflect reality.
What would you like to say to the Syrian People and the misleading Media outlets?
To the hostile media outlets, I would like to say you've lost the (Battle), The Right is always victorious; you've lost your audience because you have been fabricating and distorting facts. I would like to address the Syrian people by saying that your steadfastness and resilience are the main causes for this major victory; our martyrs paved the way for a glorious history for Syria and the whole region.
Mohammed Ramez Turgeman, who served as director of the Public Authority for Radio and Television, was appointed as the new information minister in the Syrian Cabinet by President Bashar al-Assad who issued a decree in July 2016 carrying out a reshuffle of his ministers.
Interview by: Fadi Boudaya
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