The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf met on Monday with Iraqi Minister of Culture Dr. Hassan Nadhem, and discussing with him a number of issues pertaining to cooperation between the two sides. The GCC secretariat stated that during the meeting — held in the Saudi capital Riyadh — issues relating to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Iraq and the GCC were discussed. It added that the two officials also reviewed the cultural and archeological landmarks in Iraq and the possibility of inviting Gulf and Iraqi intellectuals to activities that promoted cultural communication. Meanwhile, thirteen publishing houses from Iraq, which is participating as a guest of honor, are taking part in Riyadh International Book Fair (RIBF), the biggest ever in Saudi Arabia, reflecting the Iraqi-Saudi cultural exchange. The Ministry of Culture celebrated its honorary guest's pavilion, located in the middle of the exhibition, demonstrating the Saudi-Iraqi relations with pictures of founder King Abdulaziz and the kings of Saudi Arabia during their visits to Iraq. The director of the Iraqi pavilion Dr. Aref Al-Saadi, said not only Iraq is participating with books, but also with its great intellectuals and poets, citing the solid ground of the the two countries' cultural rapprochement. Al-Saadi reiterated that the Kingdom's cultural status and influence in the Arab region constitute great importance to Arab intellectuals and triggered greater interest in Saudi cultural events. This is because they represent an important platform for documenting and marketing Arab and international culture, adding that the Iraqi participation in RIBF as a guest of honor confirms the depth of relations between the two countries. — Agencies
