Sharjah Int'l book fair opens

In the presence of Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Anqari, Minister of Higher Education and Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasemi, member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, who is also Governor of the Emirate of Al-Sharjah, opened here today Al-Sharjah 30th International Book Exhibition 2011. Addressing the opening ceremony, Dr. Al-Anqari lauded Sharjah's interest in culture in general and the written word in particular since 1982. He said Saudi pavilion, which was prepared in a hurry, reflects part of the cultural and intellectual activity in the Kingdom, citing the performance of 33 governmental and private universities, literary and cultural clubs, specialized civil institutions, annual cultural events, including the Janadriyah National Festival for Culture and Heritage, Riyadh International Book Fair, Souk Okaz, higher education conference and exhibition and a number of written and audiovisual publishing channels. He noted that some 130,000 Saudi students on scholarships abroad are considered messengers of the Saudi culture to the entire world. Accompanied by Dr. Al-Anqari and Dr. Khoja, Dr. Al-Qasemi, then, toured the Saudi pavilion and was briefed on its contents.