Manama: Kuwait's Emir has donated three million euros to the Paris-based Arab World Institute, Kuwait's Ambassador in France has said.
"The president of the institute has informed us of the generous donation of three million euro by HH Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah," Ali Al Saeed told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) on Saturday following a meeting with a delegation from the institute, headed by its President Dominique Baudis.
The donation reflected the belief of the Emir in the role of the institute in bringing the Arab and European cultures closer together, Al Saeed said.
"Kuwait has long been a friend of the institute, and we were honoured with a visit by His Highness the Emir of Kuwait in 2006 as well as a visit by HH the Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah last month," the diplomat said.
Both visits resulted in unprecedented support for the institute and its activities to boost dialogue and end inter-cultural conflicts, he said.
Shaikh Sabah in 2006 donated one million euro the Paris-based institute during a visit to France.
Baudis said that the institute had good relations with Kuwait and its ambassador in Paris, an active member of the institute's board of directors.
Baudis, a member of the European Parliament, said that the donation would be spent on the institute's exhibition and library. "We are working on a report on ways to spend this generous donation from Kuwait, a country that has spared no effort in supporting the institute's activities," he said.
Al Saeed said that the embassy would work with the Arab World Institute to determine which projects will be financed by the donation.
Information about the Arab world
The Arab World Institute (AWI), or Institut du Monde Arabe in French, was set up in 1980 in Paris after 18 Arab countries agreed with France to establish an institute that will offer information about the Arab world and help research on the Arabs' values.
The Institute also aims to promote cooperation and cultural exchanges between France and the Arab world and to develop relations between them.
