Russia's foreign minister greets World Media Summit delegates

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has greeted delegates of the World Media Summit that opened in Moscow on Thursday.

"Your forum that is held in Moscow at the initiative and under the aegis of ITAR-TASS news agency in many respects is a milestone event, as it gathered over 300 heads of the world's leading mass media, whose activity defines the configuration of the global information space and exerts significant influence on the formation of public opinion and as it addresses a busy agenda that embraces a wide range of pressing issues that the media community faces today," he said in his message of greeting.

"The role of journalists in the modern dynamically changing world is difficult to overestimate, as in the conditions of the information society and the explosion-like spread of new communication technologies the professional and honest media that objectively covers the ongoing events can do much to resolve the existing problems, including the settlement of conflict situations," the diplomat said.

Lavrov expressed confidence that the summit "will help to search for effective responses to modern day challenges, unification of efforts in the interests of strengthening confidence and mutual understanding, creating more just and safer world order."

He wished the summit's delegates "successful work and all the very best."