Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan met here Wednesday with Minister of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt Dr. Nevin Al-Kilany, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers, which was held in Riyadh and organized by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO). During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministries of Culture of Saudi Arabia and Egypt to enhance the cooperation in the cultural field. The memorandum of understanding aims to enhance joint cooperation in various cultural fields, including heritage, visual arts, performing arts, literature, books, publishing, Islamic decoration and other creative tracks. It also included work to enhance the participation of the Saudi and Egyptian intellectuals in various festivals and cultural events held in the two countries, in addition to the joint cooperation in training and qualifying local artistic cadres, and benefiting from experiences in the two countries in the fields of museums, urban heritage and handicraft industries. Prince Badr valued the strong strategic relations between the Kingdom and Egypt in all cultural fields. The two sides also discussed cooperation in the field of registering intangible heritage files in UNESCO, and cooperation in the field of exchanging experiences through cultural scholarship programs. Prince Badr also met with Sheikh Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab culture ministers. During the meeting, the minister of culture congratulated Sheikh Khalifa on his appointment as the president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, stressing the importance of strengthening cultural cooperation through the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council. Prince Badr met Wednesday with Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab culture ministers. During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of Morocco, to enhance the cultural cooperation in various cultural fields, including literature, publishing and translation, heritage, architecture and design, museums, theater and performing arts. The MoU also included enhancing the participation of Saudi and Moroccan intellectuals in the festivals and cultural events held in the two countries, in addition to exchanging experiences in regulations and policies related to the cultural aspect. Prince Badr, in between the bilateral meetings, also met with Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) Dr. Salem Bin Mohammad Al-Malik, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab culture ministers. During the meeting, they discussed the most prominent current cooperation programs between the ICESCO and Saudi Arabia. Prince Badr also valued the efforts exerted by the ISESCO in the cultural field of the member states, including its efforts in preserving the heritage in the countries of the Islamic world. The meeting witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Culture and ICESCO to enhance cultural cooperation in various cultural fields. The minister of culture met with Tunisia's Minister of Cultural Affairs Dr. Hayat Qatat Al-Qirmazi, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab culture ministers. During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance the cultural cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia in the cultural fields. Prince Badr also praised the depth and strength of the existing cultural cooperation between the two brotherly countries, which was recently embodied in the participation of Tunisia as the guest of honor at the Riyadh International Book Fair 2022, and the hosting of Saudi Arabia as a guest of honor in the 33rd session of "Carthage Film Festival" last October. Prince Badr also met with Minister of Youth and Culture of Djibouti Hibo Moumin Assoweh, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab culture ministers. At the outset of the meeting, the minister of culture praised the Saudi-Djiboutian relations and the level of coordination between the two countries in various international and regional cultural forums. During the meeting, they discussed the importance of benefiting from joint cultural experiences and initiatives, and joint work to develop the capabilities of the Djiboutian artists. — SPA
