The Ministers of Culture of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states convened their 17th meeting in Abu Dhabi yesterday. The Saudi delegation was led by Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja.

In an opening speech, GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani stressed the importance of culture in strengthening communities. “We need a new modern culture that provides youths with power and strength and the ability to meet the requirements of the times and keep up with modern civilization,” he declared. Subsequently, the ministers held a closed door session.

In a press release, Dr. Khoja reported, “The meeting discussed very important topics, as well as the cultural strategy and cooperation among the GCC member countries.” He looked forward to the next GCC Interior Ministers’ meeting, which will be held in Riyadh next year.

During the session, the ministers recommended that several planned cultural activities come to fruition, including the Music Festival in Kuwait from November 15-19, the Visual Arts Forum in Saudi Arabia from October 9-19, and the Cinema Festival in Qatar in the second half of December. After being briefed on cultural relations with the rest of the world, the ministers recommended that talks be held on the subject with various foreign countries.