Changing The Syrian Image In The West

Workshop Organized By: The Syrian Ministry of Expatriates
Culture Exchange and Media
BOSRA Room: Ground Floor Ummayyad Palace

Participating Ministers:
- HE Dr. Mahdi Dakhlalla , Minister of Information
- HE Dr. Sa'adallah Agha Al Kala'a, Minister of Tourism

Moderator: Mr. Wafik Said
Consultant: Dr. Nabil Dajani
Local Speaker: Mr. Hani Mandas
Expatriate Speaker: Ms. Hind Kabawat - Dr. Falah Ojeil Abdulkarim                                                          

Subjects of this workshop address three major areas: cultural exchange between Syria and the expatriate communities; development of the media, and developing relations with the expatriates and their communities.
In the area of cultural exchange the main recommendations focused on strengthening the cultural ties between Syria and the expatriate communities.

Several practical recommendations were made in the area of media development. These include adopting a proactive information strategy and shifting from defensive to offensive information tactics, setting up an independent and professional media center in the west as well as a special television channel that broadcast to the west, activating contacts with important media figures in major media capitals, employing a public relations firm, holding periodic meetings between Syrian and foreign journalists, providing more space to news of the expatriates in the Syrian media, facilitating the visits of foreign journalists to Syria, and opening up to private media that are not owned or managed by the government,.

Recommendations in the area of developing relations with the expatriates and their communities focused on three main dimensions:

> Developing relationships with expatriates: activating and strengthening contacts with expatriates, who are members of foreign parliaments, develop better structures between the expatriates and their homeland and developing close association with, as well as supporting civic programs sponsored by eastern churches and Islamic centers to which expatriates belong, recognizing prominent expatriates.

> Developing relations with the children of and youth of the expatriates: holding youth camps, supporting expatriate university graduates in their efforts to promote the image of Syria.

> Legislation that the Syrian government may adopt that will advance the bond between the expatriates and their homeland: revoking the expatriate tax and the airport tax, and facilitating the exceptional circumstances for visiting Syria.