Rabat — Morocco's Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication and the Sharjah Book Authority (United Arab Emirates) signed, here Tuesday, an agreement to host Morocco as "guest of honor" at the Sharjah International Book Fair, scheduled for November 6-17, 2024.
Co-chaired by Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, and the Executive Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al-Ameri, the signing ceremony was attended by the Fair's General Coordinator, Khoula Al-Mujaini, on the Emirati side, and the Director of Books, Libraries and Archives, Latifa Moftaqir, on the Moroccan side.
The signing of this agreement bears witness to the distinguished cultural relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, and responds to an invitation from the Sharjah Book Authority, which has designated Morocco as guest of honor at the Sharjah International Book Fair.
On this occasion, Bensaid stressed that this invitation comes at a time when Morocco-UAE relations, under the wise leadership of the two countries' leaders, are undergoing a qualitative leap that will enable the cultural sector to align itself with other fields of cooperation, hence the importance for both parties to work together to develop mechanisms to promote cultural relations to the rank of political and economic relations between the two brotherly countries.
In this respect, the Minister considered that the participation of the Kingdom of Morocco as guest of honor at the Sharjah International Book Fair represents the beginning of an advanced stage of coordination and cooperation, exchange of experiences and operationalization of any initiative favoring the broadening of prospects for joint action.
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For his part, Al-Ameri pointed out that "the choice of the Kingdom of Morocco as guest of honor of the Sharjah International Book Fair for the year 2024 reflects our profound vision of strengthening cultural dialogue between peoples and consolidating the foundations of cultural understanding and cooperation".
"Culture is not just an accumulation of knowledge, but rather an ecosystem made up of values, traditions and ideas that interact to forge our common human identity," he said, adding that "Morocco, with its rich history and ancestral civilization, represents a pioneering Arab model of positive interaction with diversity and cultural pluralism, and of blending different influences to form a singular cultural identity".
"Morocco's presence as guest of honor at the Fair embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Sharjah, and the directives of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al-Qasimi, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Book Authority in promoting cultural and civilizational exchanges with the world," he added.
The program for Moroccan participation at the Sharjah International Book Fair includes, in addition to documentary offerings, a series of cultural events, attended by the gotha of the intellectual and literary production sector, in addition to musical performances and artistic workshops relating to Moroccan cultural heritage.
