Doha: GCC Ministers of Culture have agreed on a proposal submitted by Qatar to hold a cultural festival on the sidelines of the GCC annual summit to be hosted by Doha this year.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr Al Kuwari said the 20th meeting of the GCC Ministers of Culture, which concluded in Kuwait on Thursday, reached many decisions, including a joint study on the role of culture in promoting citizenship and rendering service to the young people along with the preparation of a strategy and programmes to strengthen Gulf identity at GCC states’ cultural centres.
He said the meeting focused on ways to promote and disseminate the GCC culture and its values and increase cohesion and interdependence among GCC citizens.
He stressed the keenness of the GCC Ministers of Culture to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for culture set by them in their meeting.
Dr Al Kuwari also highlighted the importance of holding such regular meetings to cover all aspects of culture and preparing action plans for the member states for the upcoming years.
He also underscored the importance of holding this meeting in light of developments on the Arab arena, stressing the role culture can play in promoting dialogue and bridging the gap that may be caused by politics between different peoples.
Eighteen Gulf talents in the field of culture were honoured in a ceremony on the sidelines of the meeting.
They included Qatari talents Musa Zainal in the field of theatre, Salman Almalik in the field of visual arts, and Matar Ali in the field of music.
The Minister also praised the opening of Kuwait National Library and said it will be a beacon to disseminate Kuwaiti, GCC and Arab culture.
QNA
