Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater; Ambassador of the French Republic to Qatar H E Arnaud Pescheux; and other officials at the inauguration ceremony yesterday. Pic: Salim Matramkot/The peninsula
Doha, Qatar: In a move to strengthen bilateral cultural exchange between Qatar and France, Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, inaugurated yesterday the new premises of the French Institute in Qatar, located in the Al Tarfa area of Doha.
The Institute is the largest cultural institution affiliated with the French Embassy in Doha and is part of the global network of French Institutes. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Ambassador of the French Republic to Qatar H E Arnaud Pescheux, Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and Secretary-General of the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science Dr. Nouf Khalid Al-Suwaidi, along with senior officials from the Ministry and members of the French Embassy.
The French Institute supports the teaching of the French language and culture and promotes Francophone values by offering courses in both French and Arabic, organizing cultural and artistic workshops, hosting events, exhibitions, lectures, and film and music evenings. It also operates a digital media library (Mediatheque) and provides internationally recognized exams such as DELF-DALF, in addition to “Campus France” services that guide students wishing to study at French universities, making the Institute a comprehensive hub for cultural and educational exchange between the two countries.
In her speech at the event, Dr. Nouf Khalid Al-Suwaidi highlighted that the opening of the French Institute is more than just an expansion of a cultural institution; it reflects the depth of the strategic alliance between the State of Qatar and the French Republic. The relationship between the two nations is built on mutual trust and long-standing bilateral cooperation across various academic, cultural, political, and humanitarian fields. She noted that the Institute has been a prominent landmark of cultural dialogue and friendship between the two nations for 36 years.
Ambassador of France, affirmed in his speech that the relationship between Qatar and France is based on a shared vision that considers culture and education as essential pillars of development, tools for achieving individual and collective potential, and bridges for dialogue and human understanding all of which are urgently needed in today’s turbulent world. He noted that the opening of the Institute today will further deepen this relationship more than ever before.
