The activities of the 22nd edition of the Amman International Book Fair started today under the slogan (ElQuds is the Capital of Palestine), as the State of Qatar being the guest of honor of the fair this year through a special pavilion that includes a number of cultural institutions, and a distinguished cultural program with the participation of a number of Qatari writers, novelists and researchers.
Participating in the opening of the exhibition activities were His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Her Excellency Ms. Haifa Al-Najjar, Minister of Culture of Jordan, and Dr. Ghanem Mubarak Al-Ali, Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and head of the delegation of the State of Qatar participating in the exhibition, in addition to the directors of Arabic book fairs and the exhibition’s guests.
In his speech, His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Jordan, said: “The dear relationship between Qatar and Jordan is deeply rooted, has extensions, and is witnessing great cooperation and growth in various fields, and we have deep cultural relations with it thanks to the wise visions of the leadership of the two brotherly countries, may God protect and save them.”
He added: “Year after year, the Amman International Book Fair confirms its brilliance, but this year its brilliance is special, as we are talking about 400 local, Arab and international publishing houses from 22 countries. These are unique results that we would not have seen except after the continuous successes that the fair was able to achieve in previous years.” In addition to the Fair’s usual program that includes various types of culture, and here our pride as Qataris appears to be the guest of honor on this cultural occasion.”
On her part, Her Excellency Ms. Haifa Al-Najjar, Jordanian Minister of Culture, said that the Amman International Book Fair represents a success story for the book industry and the publishing industry in Jordan, and has become part of our cultural discourse and one of our means of knowledge.
She added that the exhibition represents a platform for dialogue and communication of ideas, calling on the Jordanian family, school and university students, cultural institutions and bodies, and visitors to Jordan to visit the exhibition and interact with the cultural program, which this year allocated a space for children.
After the opening, His Excellency the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Jordan and the Jordanian Minister of Culture reviewed the pavilions of the joint Qatari cultural institutions, and the pavilion of the State of Qatar, the guest of honor of this year’s Fair. They heard from Mr. Jassim Al-Buainain, supervisor of the pavilion, and the director of the Doha International Book Fair, about the nature of Qatari participation, the publications of the Qatari Ministry of Culture, and paintings by Qatari artists included in the pavilion.