Walid El-Feky, the Egyptian ambassador to Doha, lauded Qatar and its leadership’s interest in culture and knowledge, emphasising that the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) reflects the country’s commitment to building the Arab mind and human capital through supporting reading, education, and culture.
He stated that the fair has become one of the most prominent cultural events in the region, given the broad participation of Arab and international publishing houses, as well as the large turnout from the public and those interested in books and knowledge. He affirmed that Egypt’s participation in the 35th edition of the DIBF is of great importance, as it represents an extension of Egypt’s cultural presence in the Arab world and embodies the role of Egyptian soft power in disseminating culture and knowledge.
El-Feky noted that his tour of the fair included visits to several Egyptian publishing houses, pointing out that the Egyptian pavilions witnessed significant interest and attendance from Qatari citizens and residents of Qatar.
He explained that the Egyptian embassy provided various forms of support and facilitation to participating Egyptian publishers, particularly regarding licensing procedures and co-ordination with relevant authorities in Qatar. He commended the Qatari Ministry of Culture for its co-operation and responsiveness to all requests.
He also noted that the Egyptian embassy is committed to organising diverse cultural events to enhance the Egyptian cultural presence in Doha.
He explained that the recent period witnessed a celebration marking the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, in addition to preparations for upcoming cultural events, including the “Joint Egyptian-Greek-Qatari Cultural Year” next year.
The envoy expressed his best wishes to Qatar and the organisers of the DIBF for continued success, affirming that the fair is consolidating its position year after year as one of the most important Arab cultural events.