Greek, Saudi culture ministers lead first Joint Cultural Committee meeting in Jeddah
Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and her Saudia Arabian counterpart Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud led the first meeting in Jeddah of the Joint Cultural Committee, in the framework of the Saudi-Hellenic Strategic Partnership Council.
According to a Greek ministry statement, the two ministers focused on strengthening and supporting the already close cultural cooperation between the two countries, based on the memorandum of cooperation in the sector of culture that was signed in July 2022.
The two ministers referred to the ongoing work to organise the joint exhibition in Saudi museums within 2026, “Lalon Hydor: Stories of Water”, referring to an ancient Greek phrase that means ‘the water that speaks’. The show will include ancient artifacts and modern art works from both countries highlighting the importance of water as an element of life and identifying similarities between the cultures of two countries, the statement said.
They also discussed cooperation in the sector of managing archaeological sites, the opportunity to collaborate on the National Museum of Underwater Artifacts under construction in Piraeus, and cooperation in terms of the monuments in Greece and Saudi Arabia that are included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
While in Jeddah, Mendoni also had working meetings with CEO of the Museums Commission Mona Khazindar, Saudi Heritage Commission General Director Sultana Al-Sultan and commission members. She was also given a tour of the Islamic Arts Biennale by Assistant Minister of Culture Rakan Al-Touq and a tour of the Tariq Abdulhakim Center Museum, dedicated to the famed musicial Abdul Hakim who introduced string instruments in Saudi music and is the first Arab musician to be awarded UNESCO’s Music Prize. Providing a tour was Deputy Minister of Culture Fahad Abdulrahman Alkanaan. The Museum’s corresponding Greek museum is the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments “Fivos Anoyanakis”.
Source: AMNA
