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QNA
St. Petersburg
The diversity of human skin colours and tongues (languages) is a blessing from God to people, according to Minister of Culture and Sports of Qatar Salah bin Ghanem al Ali.
In his remarks at the opening of the seventh edition of St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum in Russia on Thursday, the minister emphasises the need to appreciate the diversity between peoples and cultures, making reference to Quran verse:"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you."
He pointed out that Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture reflected the joint efforts between the two countries and culminated in an important model experiment in more than forty different cultural activities which promote cultural exchange and dissemination of the values of tolerance and openness.
He thanked all those who took part in the forum for the opportunity given to Qatar as a guest of honour in St. Petersburg, which he described as the beautiful city and symbol of cultural diversity for centuries.
The Forum was opened by Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Olga Golodets, along with Ali, who led the Qatari delegation.
More than 20,000 participants and taking part in the forum, representing theatre, opera and music schools in addition to experts in the global cultural and artistic fields and representatives of some governments.
The St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum aims to discuss ways to support cultural cooperation among countries and their peoples around the world and to foster knowledge exchange on cultural and artistic issues through seminars, lectures, round tables, various theatre, film and musical performances, as well as supporting and developing youth initiatives.
Qatar's participation in the forum will be highlighted through a series of cultural activities such as the inauguration of an art exhibition on contemporary Qatari society and the presentation of the archaeological project of Qatar and Sudan, which highlights the importance of preserving historical monuments and archaeological excavations.
The forum will also feature a variety of Qatar Museums presentations, as well as recent presentations on cinema in Qatar, Qatari artists and photographers works, and a concert of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
A number of Qatari cultural events will be held on Friday, including a ministerial discussion which will be attended by the Minister of Culture and Sports and several ministers of culture from other countries.
Ali's speech will be entitled 'Truth or Myth'.
