Katara General Manager and GPDNet Head, Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti
Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation Katara announced the establishment of Katara Public Diplomacy Center which is first of its kind in Qatar, the Gulf region and the Middle East.
This undertaking is part of its efforts to spread culture and awareness about the importance of popular friendship through public diplomacy, and to contribute to strengthening international ties and relations and enhancing communication between nations across their multiple cultures.
This came after Katara won the presidency of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) for a new term for the next three years, and its success in attracting 27 countries from different continents of the world as a member of the network. The center aims to organise various events and activities and publishing research and studies on the importance of public diplomacy.
Katara General Manager and GPDNet Head, Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti expressed his happiness to establish the Katara Center for Public Diplomacy as a private institution of public benefit headquartered in Katara, explaining that the center is the first of its kind in Qatar, the Gulf region and the Middle East, and its role complements the great efforts undertaken by Katara in cultural diplomacy. It also enhances Katara’s position as a forum for world cultures and an oasis of civilisational communication among nations, indicating that the center aims to spread culture and awareness about the importance of public diplomatic relations in the State of Qatar and abroad, in coordination with the competent authorities.
Prof. Dr. Al Sulaiti added that this establishment will enable Katara to open new paths for dialogue and understanding in order to strengthen bridges between Arab culture and other cultures, and to reach a more developed and advanced reality, indicating that the center will highlight the importance of public diplomatic relations and promote them through cultural events held in Katara with other internal and external centers, in addition to publishing research and studies on the importance of public diplomacy.
For his part, GPDNet Secretary-General, Eng. Darwish Ahmed Al Shaibani said that the establishment of Katara Public Diplomacy Center constitutes a remarkable addition to the success achieved by Katara in cultural and public diplomacy, pointing out that the huge balance of success achieved by Katara through its hosting of major cultural events that attracted different nationalities and groups. It also takes the lead of the cultural scene and its global position, all of this prompts it to work and promote the concept of public diplomacy and strengthen the rapprochement between cultures, enrich cultural diversity and strengthen bonds of friendship between societies, by building fruitful foreign strategic partnerships based on the principle of cooperation and exchange In the various fields of culture, heritage, art, thought and knowledge.
Moreover, he stressed that it will shed light on the offers and projects established on public diplomacy between nations and use them to build strong national senior executives, smart and fruitful partnerships that bring prosperity to those countries and their people, and will create new opportunities that open broad horizons in various fields and sectors.
