HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the French Republic Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani and HE President of the Arab World Institute in Paris Jack Lang has unveiled a plaque of thanks to the State of Qatar for its contribution to the Arabic Language House project, during a celebration at the Institute's headquarters in the presence of FIFA representative in Paris Kenny Jean-Marie and prominent Arab, French and international figures, during which models of the stadiums that will host the matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 were displayed.

In his speech at the ceremony, HE Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani stressed the historical importance of the Arabic language as one of the oldest languages spoken by humans since the dawn of history.

HE said that the Arabic language, for centuries, linked peoples through literature, music, poetry and philosophy, as it was the common language of communication in the fields of commerce, art and science. It is a rich and vibrant language, uniting hundreds of millions of people in 22 Arabic speaking countries, HE added.

His Excellency explained that the State of Qatar's contribution to the Arabic Language House project that the Arab World Institute intends to establish reaffirms the important role that the Arabic language plays in building bridges of communication between peoples in culture, science, literature and many other fields, as language is the incubator of identity that cannot be preserved without preserving the Arabic language.

The State of Qatar, under the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has been leading great efforts for years to promote and consolidate the status of the Arabic language within Qatar and in the Arab world, by organizing conferences and seminars on the importance of the Arabic language and searching for means which bring back brilliance to our beautiful language, HE said, adding that this also comes within the framework of Qatar's relentless efforts to preserve Muslims' great heritage, which fascinated the world through the Arabic language which the world has been learning for centuries.

HE the Ambassador reviewed the State of Qatar's efforts to protect the Arabic language, which began with the initiative of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, when HH launched the "World Organization for Renaissance of Arabic Language (WORAL)" in 2013, and continued with the launch of the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic, until FIFA's adoption of Arabic as an official language.

HE pointed out that the Arabic language constitutes a major component of the Arab identity, and that realizing the interactive relationship between language and identity requires a sound linguistic awareness that contributes to an appreciation of the status and importance of this language, noting that this is what the State of Qatar seeks to achieve by strengthening its close cooperation with the Arab World Institute in Paris and supporting its initiatives that contribute, with their diversity and distribution in various fields of knowledge and art, to introducing France, Europe and the Western world to the true image of the Arab and Islamic world, with its history, heritage, civilization, culture, creativity and current conditions, and developing cultural exchange, civilizational interaction and human dialogue between East and West.

For his part, HE President of the Arab World Institute in Paris Jack Lang expressed his happiness to unveil the plaque that was launched in appreciation of the State of Qatar for its commitment to the Arabic Language House project, stressing that thanks to the strong relations that exist between the State of Qatar and the Institute, a new impetus will be given to the spread and promotion of the Arabic language in France, Qatar and the world as a global language in the field of knowledge, communication, culture and creativity.

His Excellency Jack Lang thanked HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for his confidence in the project. He also thanked the State of Qatar's Ambassador to the French Republic for his full commitment to achieving this support.

Lang hailed FIFA's decision to adopt Arabic as the fifth official language, and renewed his congratulations to the State of Qatar on the occasion of hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be held for the first time in an Arab country.

He stressed that the Arabic Language House project would enhance the solid friendship between France and Qatar and enrich the French-Qatari strategic dialogue, expressing hope that cooperation between the Arab World Institute and the State of Qatar would expand and deepen in the future.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs