Minister Praises Qatari-Italian Cultural Ties

Rome, July 22 (QNA) - HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari has praised the ties of cooperation between the State of Qatar and the friendly Republic Italian, particularly in the cultural and artistic fields. In remarks to the Italian ANSAmed news agency on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Giffoni Film Festival, HE Dr.Al Kuwari said : "We are really proud that Doha has now become among the most important cities in the Arab world in a short period of time. "In recent years the State of Qatar has witnessed major improvements in cultural infrastructure such as theaters, museums, cinemas .. "We are also proud that the only film festival for young people to be is in Doha.", HE the Minister of Culture added. HE the Minister expressed conviction in the role of culture in solving a lot of problems facing the world and said, "I am absolutely convinced that all problems we are currently experiencing were linked to culture.. At a time when the international community would give due importance to culture then all extremism problems would be solved, HE the Minister said . HE the Minister noted that the Giffoni Film Festival was an integral part of this idea, and plays an important role in this regard, and is a seed that would yield important posts for the future of peace worldwide. HE the Minister commended the Giffoni Film Festival as highly successful international cultural event, and said that the cultural cooperation between Qatar and Italy would continue. Mayor of the Italian city of Ercolano Ciro Bonetti and official in charge of tourism in the city Di Stasio met with HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al-Kuwari who visited Italy at the head of cultural delegation to attend the opening ceremony of Giffoni International Film Festival. Talks during the meeting dealt with the selection of the city as the Capital of Italian Culture 2016 and the possibility of Qatar's participation in this event by a cultural delegation. The Mayor and the official in charge of tourism in the city expressed the hope that the state of Qatar will participate with a cultural delegation to organize cultural days there, saying that they have heard a lot about the State of Qatar's exceptional success in the organization of celebrations marking Qatar as the Capital of Arab Culture 2010. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage expressed his appreciation and admiration of the cultural and heritage legacy of the city. For his part, the Mayor of the city said the visit by the culture minister of a country that represents one of the richest Arab countries in history and traditions, proves the importance of our city in the global cultural scene, adding "during our meeting we demanded the organizing of Qatari cultural days in the city of Ercolano and there will be coordination with the Embassy of Qatar regarding this issue." Italian media highlighted the participation of Dr. Al-Kuwari in Gioffini International Film Festival. Italian newspaper 'Il Mattino' also covered his visit to the city of Ercolano today under the headlines "Qatar's Minister of Culture in the City of Excavations - Ercolano, Hand Shaking to Honour the Promise, in addition to the lengthy interview with Italian News Agency (ANSAMED) held with him. The festival is one of three major film festivals in Europe that attaches great importance to films for children and youth. It represents one of the important initiatives in the programme of cultural exchanges and dialogue of civilizations as officials from various world countries take part in it.(QNA)