ZAGREB, 28 May (Hina) - Building bridges between Mediterranean countries, with a focus on the roles of football and the media, was the topic of the conference of the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN), held in Marrakech on Wednesday.

AMAN was founded on 21 November 1991 in Tunis with the aim of boosting cooperation among news agencies in Mediterranean countries.

The association includes 20 agencies from both the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, including the Croatian News Agency (HINA).

The Marrakech conference was organised by the Moroccan News Agency (MAP).

"The hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal is a sign of the desire for peace in this part of the world, as well as proof of an African country’s ability to take part in such an undertaking," said Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, at the opening of the conference.

Fouad Arif, Director General of the Moroccan News Agency, said that the joint hosting of the 2030 World Cup by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal is significant not only for football history but also as a symbol of bringing Africa and Europe closer together, as well as the north and south of the Mediterranean, and the African, Arab, and Euro-Mediterranean worlds.

This event will bring out the best in us, a combination of knowledge, creativity, and experience, the MAP Director General said.

At the AMAN conference, special emphasis was placed on the importance of unity, as well as acknowledging and embracing differences as strength.

The media and sporting aspects of the FIFA World Cup present significant challenges for news agencies, which are already facing the need to show new approaches to promotion and inclusion amid a period of dynamic regional developments, it was said at the conference, which is also being attended by HINA.

(Hina) ms