Rabat – The standing committee on Arab culture has unanimously appointed the city of Oujda as the capital of Arab culture for 2018, following its meeting held on Thursday, November 30 in Casablanca, reported the state news agency MAP.
During the meeting, the Minister of Culture and Communication, Mohamed Laâraj, expressed to the organizers his thanks for the trust placed in the Kingdom of Morocco, welcoming the appointment of the city of Oujda as capital of Arab culture for the year 2018.
“This designation, provides an opportunity to develop a rich and diverse cultural program that can energize the cultural sector in the Oriental region, with the participation of regional and local actors,” said Laâraj.
“The decision to make Oujda a destination for Arab cultural action opens up promising prospects for the strengthening of the cultural ties between Arab countries in the Oriental capital,” the minister added.
He also stressed on the importance of this appointment to make the civilizational and historical influence of this Moroccan city known to the rest of the world, in particular the Arab and Muslim world, by shedding light on the various components of its cultural heritage.
This meeting was also marked by the development of important recommendations concerning Arab culture, the protection and rehabilitation of Arab cultural heritage, and the consolidation of cultural projects, said the Ministry of Culture and Communication in a statement.
The standing committee on Arab culture is an organizational body authorized by Ministers of Culture of the Arabic speaking region to prepare documents for ministerial conferences and coordinate the work of the Culture Directorate of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).
The members of this commission, which represent more than 16 Arabic speaking countries, sent a message of thanks and gratitude to King Mohammed VI at the end of “The Arab Forum for the elaboration of the cultural action” held under his patronage.
