The Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja inspected the ministry's facilities in the Makkah region, including the television and radio stations in Jeddah, on Thursday and urged officials to double their efforts by making use of technological developments in the media industry. “We have to project the remarkable development achieved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in various sectors under the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz,” said the Minister, who was accompanied by Dr. Bakr Bagader, undersecretary for international cultural relations. The Minister of Culture and Information also visited the office of the Saudi Press Agency in Jeddah where he was briefed on the agency's efforts to cover various national and international events. He said the ministry would work conforming to the Kingdom's principles, adding that he would work to enable the Kingdom's voice of peace to reach all parts of the world and highlight its stand of moderation, tolerance and flexibility. In 1962, the Kingdom established the Ministry of Information, and in 2003, responsibility for culture was added to the ministry's portfolio. The Ministry of Culture and Information is responsible for the Kingdom's television broadcasting, radio broadcasting, the press and publication of printed material. It is also responsible for the Kingdom's relations with the foreign press.
