UAE’s FM: Culture Plays Important Role in Spreading Values of Coexistence

UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the National Museum in Prague. WAM
UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the National Museum in Prague. WAM
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UAE’s FM: Culture Plays Important Role in Spreading Values of Coexistence

UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the National Museum in Prague. WAM
UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the National Museum in Prague. WAM

UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has visited the National Museum in Prague on the sidelines of his official visit to the Czech Republic.

Sheikh Abdullah lauded on Tuesday the National Museum as a vibrant testament to the richness and diversity of the country's artistic and cultural movement.

“Culture and arts hold a mirror to their respective people, reflecting their nation's development and progress across all fields, and playing an important role in spreading the values of coexistence, tolerance, and human fraternity, which are the basic pillars for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development in societies,” he said.

He also praised the growing relations between the UAE and the Czech Republic, pointing to the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the cultural and artistic fields.

Sheikh Abdullah was accompanied during the visit by Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Minister for Trade and Economic Affairs, and was welcomed upon arrival by the National Museum's General Director, Dr. Michal Lukeš.

During the visit, the UAE’s top diplomat toured the museum's sections and halls and viewed its diverse exhibits.

Sheikh Abdullah received an insightful explanation from Dr. Michal, who elaborated on the museum's centuries-old history, its crucial role in documenting the country's diverse past, and its dedication to highlighting the vibrant tapestry of Czech culture and its distinctive arts.



UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
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UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File

The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the body said Friday.
UNESCO said the site, which dates back to the fourth century, had been put on the endangered list at the demand of Palestinian authorities and cited the "imminent threats" it faced.
"It's the only recourse to protect the site from destruction in the current context," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told AFP, referring to the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant "provisional enhanced protection" -- the highest level of immunity established by the 1954 Hague Convention -- to the site.
UNESCO had then said it was "already concerned about the state of conservation of sites, before October 7, due to the lack of adequate policies to protect heritage and culture" in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.