H.E. Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashid, President of the Republic of Iraq, received, on April 30, 2024 at Al Salam Palace in Baghdad, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, who was accompanied by Dr. Sami Zayoud, Mr. Abdelhak Haif, and Ms. Sally Hattab. The meeting was also attended by Dr. Ahmed Fakak Al-Badrani, Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities.
The Iraqi President welcomed the Director-General and his accompanying delegation. He stressed that the world currently needs a “revolution” in the fields of education, culture and arts, pointing out that the Iraqi people have suffered for years from a significant decline in these sectors due to the challenging conditions it went through in the past decades. Education and culture, he added, are key to the advancement of peoples, noting that culture is not only a language of communication and rapprochement among nations and states, but also a key driver of development and prosperity.
The President highlighted the importance for ALECSO to exert more efforts to publicize Iraq's heritage and civilization, so that the whole world can learn about Iraq’s distinctive civilizational features. He stressed, in this context, that Iraq's cultural, religious and social diversity is an embodiment of the culture of peaceful coexistence prevailing among all its components.
For his part, the Director-General of ALECSO thanked the Iraqi President for this historic opportunity to meet with him and listen to his vision and views that will serve to inform and enrich ALECSO's future programs and projects. He highlighted, on this occasion, the valuable and diverse cultural and civilizational assets of Iraq.
The Director-General briefed the Iraqi President on the current programs and future projects of ALECSO, noting that the Organization has held several specialized ministerial conferences and scientific symposiums to come up with recommendations and decisions that can help meet the challenges facing the Arab countries in the fields of education, culture and science.
At the end of this meeting, the Director-General of ALECSO presented the President of the Republic of Iraq with the “ALECSO Honorary Shield”.
