Katara and Arab Cultural Institute sign agreement

Katara – the Cultural Village has signed a co-operation agreement yesterday with the Arab Cultural Institute in Washington DC as part of its efforts to build partnerships with international organisations.In a press statement, Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti said the agreement aims to build “a bridge of cultural communication between the Arab world, the American people, and US cultural institutions operating in Washington DC.”“The agreement is a new addition to a series of agreements Katara has signed with a number of highly-reputed Arab and international organisations and institutions this year, including Unesco, the Arab World Institute in Paris, and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO),” said the senior Katara official, who joined Arab Cultural Institute CEO Dr John Duke Anthony at the signing ceremony.Al-Sulaiti noted that the partnership seeks to lay the foundations for a better mutual cultural understanding, boost shared human values, adopt educational, cultural and art programmes leading to a deeper understanding of the Arab and Islamic civilisation.He added that the agreement also seeks to establish constant co-operation through dialogue, special programmes and activities, including educational lectures, scientific symposiums, workshops, language support programmes for bilinguals and international cultural conferences.“The importance of such co-operation springs from the opportunity it presents in creating solid and sustainable relations that would enhance Katara’s role and efforts in enriching the cultural and knowledge fields in the Arab world and globally,” al-Sulaiti pointed out.He said the agreement is in line with Katara’s strategic goals, including building partnerships with Gulf, Arab and international cultural institutions to contribute to the advancement of the cultural scene.Anthony echoed the statement of al-Sulaiti saying the agreement aims “to give a shot in the arm to the cultural ties between Qatar and the Gulf states, and the US cultural and knowledge-based institutions.”“Katara has become one of the most important, most active and powerful cultural platforms in the Arab world,” he said. “We hope Katara will support our institution’s efforts in introducing the Arab culture and its significant contributions to the human civilisation everywhere to change the Arab stereotype images in the West.”He noted that the Arab Cultural Institute in Washington DC works to become a role model platform capable of introducing the real face of Arab culture and civilisation to countries in North and South America.