HE the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, has stressed the importance of cultural diplomacy in the dialogue of civilisations and cultures, noting that global harmony is achieved by enhancing the role of culture in building international relations.
Delivering a lecture at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, HE al-Kawari stressed that politics alone is not capable of solving problems, conflicts in humanity, and that achieving peace needs cultural diplomacy.
The minister pointed to the existence of literary experiences that contributed to enrich the human spirit with hope and values of tolerance, including the abundance of Kazakh literary culture, such as the work of Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuly who was inspired by the Islamic religion and believed in the value of the man and called for peace in his poems.
He said that literature and arts spread the acceptance of difference and shared values and prevent the expansion of extremism, intolerance and ignorance, noting to the importance of translation in the transfer of world literature to other cultures.
The minister explained that the Qatari culture has a great interest in translation. Qatar has institued the largest international award in this area, namely Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, which honours translators and appreciates their role in strengthening the bonds of friendship and co-operation between the nations and peoples of the world.
He stressed the importance of translating different literature into many languages to contribute to building a fruitful cultural dialogue.
Al-Kuwari added that both Qatar and Kazakhstan set remarkable examples in building knowledge and cultural edifices that support this trend, the most important of which are Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue and Nursultan Nazarbayev Center for the Development of Dialogue of Religions and Civilizations.
Talking about the distinct role of sport in bringing people together, Dr al-Kuwari pointed out that Qatar's organisation of the 2022 World Cup is the most prominent international event through which the Qatari society proves its ability to build bridges with the communities of the entire world.
He noted that Qatar is ready to stage this global event. The country has prepared the infrastructure and stadiums, and most of all that the Qatari society is ready to receive millions of fans, from different cultures.
Dr al-Kawari also noted the depth and strength of the Kazakh-Qatari relations which have developed over the past two decades as a result of the common belief between the leaderships of the two countries in the importance of rapprochement at all political, economic and cultural levels. Qatar supported Kazakhstan's giant renaissance and built bridges of cultural communication through the establishment of cultural centers and educational schools.
The lecture was attended by Qatar's ambassador to Kazakhstan Abdulaziz bin Sultan al-Rumaihi, a number of faculty members and university students.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Askar Mamin met HE the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, who visited Kazakhstan to give a lecture at Nazarbayev University on Cultural Diplomacy.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Askar Mamin praised the relations between Qatar and Kazakhstan.
