UAE, France launch new cultural initiative to boost ties

Dubai Feb 11 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France announced on Saturday the launch of a new cultural initiative to strengthen the long-standing and fruitful relationship between the two countries.

The new initiative UAE-France Cultural Dialogue 2018 was co-inaugurated at the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum by Noura Bint Mohammed Al-Kaabi the UAE minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Visiting French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

Philippe took a tour of the museum in the capital city which was opened to the public in November 2017 after decade-long planning and construction.

The government of oil-rich Abu Dhabi home to seven percent of the world s known "black gold" reserves borrowed the name "Louvre" for 30 years and six months under a one-billion euro contract ($1.16 billion) as part of an inter-governmental agreement between the UAE and France in 2007.

The French prime minister also talked about expanding mutual cultural collaborations in line with the UAE s "Year of Zayed" in 2018 which was named after the country s first president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.

The UAE-France Cultural Dialogue 2018 will see significant events in the two countries including the Lyon and Sharjah s Light Festivals My French Film Festival and Francofilm festival.

--IANS/WAM
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