By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


The 8th Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan will be one of the most important events at Katara – the Cultural Village for the last quarter of this year, Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti told Gulf Times.
“It comes at the end of 2015 to close the year with a big event for Korea and I urge Koreans in Qatar and other nationalities to participate in this wonderful occasion,” he said.
The event introduces Korean culture, arts and tradition to Arab countries and offers different Korean cultural programmes which combine tradition and modernity.
Citing Katara’s close relationship with the Korean embassy in Doha, Dr al-Sulaiti noted that they have been conducting many festivals and events together in past such as Korean cultural week in 2103 and the Korean kite festival.
He said these Korean events had strengthened the cultural relationship between Korea and Arab countries, bringing them closer together.
The senior Katara official’s statement was echoed by Korean ambassador Heung-kyeong Park saying that the caravan this year marks a historical moment between the two countries.
“Last November, HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visited South Korea and then our President, Park Geun-hye visited Qatar last March,” he said. “It is a very rare exchange of head of states which means that Korea has strong emphasis on relation between Qatar and Korea.”
The event also highlights the rich cultural heritage of Korea and Arab countries including Qatar, according to the envoy.
Besides performances and traditional food, he noted that both cultures have similarities especially with regards to helping less fortunate people, high sense of family values and respect to the elders.
Dr al-Sulaiti also encouraged various embassies in Doha to hold their national days and cultural events at Katara instead of going elsewhere.
“This is the right place for them to spread their culture to different nations since Katara is the hub of culture and heritage. Every time we do events for different countries, these combinations get people closer,” he said.
In a press statement, Dr al-Sulaiti pointed out: “Organising similar events is aligned to the strategy of the cultural village of bridging the gaps amongst cultures and get introduces to other civilisations - a valuable opportunity to strengthen Korea-Arab relations.”