HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari with other delegates to the  9th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers in Muscat ysterday.

QNA/Muscat

The 9th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers began here yesterday with Qatari participation.  
Activities of the three-day conference, held under the theme “Towards Intermediary Developmental Culture for the Advancement of Islamic Societies”, include a round-table conference at the ministerial level aimed to promote cultural mediation in the Muslim world.
Addressing the conference, HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari said that Qatar firmly believes in the need for dialogue empowerment among civilizations and cultures, adding that special efforts have been made in this direction and a number of events and conferences have been organised to activate this dialogue.  
The Minister explained that Islamic culture is an open culture that respects others and focuses on strengthening mutual understanding and co-operation between civilizations and people.
Dr al-Kuwari called for enhancing the principle of dialogue among civilizations on the basis of mutual understanding between human beings.
The Minister discussed how the State of Qatar is playing a role in advancing dialogue between different cultures, whether through establishing centres or holding conferences on the subject. He added that Qatar’s contribution is stemming from a belief that cultural dialogue promotes peace and conserves the unique values of each culture.  
Dr al-Kuwari said that the Islamic Culture promotes peace and respect. As a result, others should not look to build walls to separate them from people in the Islamic world. The Minister said that all people are required to stand up to hateful ideas because they don’t originate in Islamic culture, pointing out that the new age requires a new, more modern cultural rhetoric.  
The Minister told the participants of the conference that Qatar has nominated him as Director-General of Unesco. He expressed his hope that participants in the conference would endorse the nomination, as did GCC members.