Strengthening the cultural ties between India, and Saudi Arabia, a bilateral MoU on cultural cooperation was signed on November 9 in Riyadh by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Culture and Tourism Minister, and Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The MoU focuses on promoting cultural exchanges, sharing regulatory and policy experiences, and facilitating participation in festivals and events. The MoU also encourages communication between cultural institutions and promotes the exchange of knowledge and practices related to the preservation of cultural heritage.
During the bilateral talks preceding the signing ceremony, the two Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advance cultural cooperation across various domains and promote joint collaboration activities in the cultural field. While recognising the deep historical ties between India and Saudi Arabia, built on long-standing cultural ties and people-to-people connections, the Ministers agreed that the signing of the MoU on cultural cooperation will give strong impetus to the growing momentum in cultural relations between the two countries.
The two Ministers are also co-chairs of the newly created Ministerial Committee of Tourism and Cultural Cooperation under India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), which was announced during the State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Jeddah in April. Notably, this was the first bilateral meeting of the two Culture Ministers since the setting up of the Ministerial Committee on Tourism and Cultural Cooperation.
