His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah on Sunday hoped for achieving further cultural cooperation between Kuwait and the Francophone countries in the upcoming years.
This came in a speech delivered by His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad during his patronage and attendance of a reception held at the residence of the French Ambassador to the country to celebrate the month of Francophonie and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the French Institute of Kuwait.
His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah highlighted the French language contributions to human history, literature, philosophy, politics and arts.
He expressed his pleasure to take part in the events marking the International Francophonie Day. He touted achievements made by the Francophonie culture in the Arab world, referring to the establishment of the Arab World Institute in Paris in 1987 by the support of former French president Francois Mitterrand and late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as well as former Saudi King Fahad bin Abdulaziz.
Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad stated that the celebration of the International Francophonie Day continued over the past 10 years, with the participation of member countries of the Francophonie organization.
Of the achievements made over the past 10 years were the inauguration of Kuwait French Institute in 2012 and opening the French department at Kuwait University in 2014, in cooperation with Sorbonne University.
The accomplishments also included the inauguration of French Institute of Archeology and Social Sciences in Kuwait in 2016, and the launching of Kuwait News Agency French bulletin in 2017, Sheikh Nasser said, adding that this contributed to the dissemination of Francophonie culture.
On the academic level, Kuwait hopes for opening a branch of Sorbonne University in the country, he stated, pointing to the announcement of establishing a council in Kuwait in 2021 to boost the Francophonie and French language.
On the political level, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar joined the International Organization of la Francophonie, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad said, adding that it is an important step, especially they participated in the ministerial conferences of the organization.
“We consider this as a positive development, because the UAE and Qatar are the best representatives of the Gulf system in this international forum,” he told the attendance.
He also expressed his sorrow over the halt of cultural activities over the past two years due to the Covid-19, voicing optimism in the upcoming period despite current international crises.
Moreover, His Highness Sheikh Nasser stressed Kuwait’s keenness on backing culture and arts in this region.
The International Francophonie Day is observed within the International Organization of the Francophonie’s 77 member states every March 20 to celebrate the French language and Francophone culture.
The International Organization of the Francophonie is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a lingua franca or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population are francophone (French speakers), or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture.
Kuwait became an observer state in the organization in July 2017.
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