The exchange of cultural activities is key to promote dialogue and foster better understanding that helped people of various civilizations shed prejudices and negative stereotypes. Luigi Narbone, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, made these remarks at the opening ceremony of European Days in Saudi Arabia, the first ever two-day event that he jointly opened with Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information here, Sunday. Narbone said the two sides will facilitate cultural exchanges through organizing exhibitions, itinerant art works, and cultural shows such as music and folklore events and people-to-people contacts. “I hope you will enjoy this year's “European Days in Saudi Arabia” and I am very much looking forward to working with our Saudi partners and European Union colleagues on similar projects that will help us build more and more cultural bridges between our regions,” he said. Representatives and cultural attaché of embassies of 20 European Union member states have participated by setting up stands and distributing brochures among visitors including schoolchildren. A number of Saudi officials spoke on the occasion and a Saudi troupe presented a folklore dance. Photo exhibition ‘European Tour' and a documentary film entitled ‘Europe as seen from the sky” attracted the attention of visitors. A large number of schoolchildren from Saudi-owned private schools and international community schools visited the event. A wonderful European animated story of two princes (Azur and Asmar) inspired by the Arabic folklore screened on the occasion enthralled the schoolchildren Ambassador Narbone said organizing of “European Days in Saudi Arabia” for the first time in the Kingdom is aimed at promoting cultural exchange, education, tourism and business, “to our Saudi partners and friends.” He said Europe, known for its various cultures and linguistic diversity has relentlessly strived to share its cultural richness with people of other regions of the world. “It is our strong belief that cultural exchanges help communities and countries come closer by forging deeper political, economic and social ties,” he said. “Europe for centuries has learnt how to embrace and respect cultural diversity. Our common cultural heritage that includes Arabic helped us become a space of peaceful coexistence, beauty and prosperity, and fostered a feeling of European citizenship,” said the envoy. __
