France has big plans to boost cultural ties with UAE

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France has big plans to boost cultural ties with UAE

Abu Dhabi - French Ambassador to UAE Ludovic Pouille told Khaleej Times that lot many 'unique' events are planned throughout 2019 and till Expo 2020.

by

Ashwani Kumar

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Published: Fri 22 Jun 2018, 10:40 PM

Last updated: Sat 23 Jun 2018, 12:43 AM

A top French diplomat has said the country is spreading a culture of love, peace and harmony, which are shared values by the UAE.
French Ambassador to UAE Ludovic Pouille told Khaleej Times that lot many 'unique' events are planned throughout 2019 and till Expo 2020 to further strengthen the cultural relationship.
"When French president (Emmanuel Macron) came for the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, then itself we had decided to sign an agreement to promote cultural dialogue between the two countries," Pouille said.
Earlier in February, a new initiative - the UAE-France Cultural Dialogue 2018 - was launched by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in Louvre Abu Dhabi. Taking things forward, there is an exhaustive range of events from music, theatre and conferences to dance, planned to herald a new era in cultural policy.
"We have a full programme of events, which will be not just here in Abu Dhabi but across all emirates."
Pouille noted the events will be held at a regular interval running throughout the year.
"And come 2019, we will have further events within this framework. This is absolutely unique and is a reflection of exceptional quality of bilateral relationship." The list of events will be rolled out in September as the present semester runs till July.
"We had one semester launched from January to July and in September we will launch the second part, which will probably run till next summer. And of course, there is Expo 2020, which will be another great opportunity for France to promote its culture and artists.
"In the coming months, we will have great exhibitions coming to Louvre Abu Dhabi from France. We will be part of the exhibition to be held as part of the Year of Zayed, which will be organised by the European nations in October. We will also be holding a film festival. We will have participation in the Dubai Design Week and Abu Dhabi Art. We will have great classical musicians from France participating in events here and in Dubai," he said.
The ambassador is hopeful that such events will act as an impetus to boost bilateral relationship.
"This is the message and values that France brings to the world. Through music, we bring peace, tolerance, co-existence and happiness, and these values are shared by the UAE," he added.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com


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