Kuwait looks for closer cultural cooperation with Iraq: diplomat – ‘E-govt crucial for sustainable development: ARADO

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KUWAIT CITY, April 23, (KUNA): Kuwait’s Consul General in Basra Yusuf Al-Sabbagh unveiled a plan for organizing reciprocal visits for Kuwait and Iraqi intellectuals to help ameliorate cultural cooperation between the two Arab neighboring countries.

In a statement to KUNA after his participation in the second edition of the Qumara Film Festival, which kicked off in the Iraqi city of Basra earlier Saturday, Al-Sabbagh said Kuwait has strong relations with Iraq in all domains.

Efforts are exerted to strengthen cultural and artistic cooperation through the Kuwaiti consulate’s participation in all cultural events in Basra, he said.

He pointed out that cultural relations are crucial for enhancing people-to-people ties.

For his part, the festival’s director, Dr Sarmad Al-Tamimi welcomed Al-Sabbagh’s attendance in the opening ceremony.

He lauded Al-Sabbagh’s eagerness to be present in most of cultural activities organized in Basra.

Al-Tamimi also said that the four-day international film festival would feature 70 films from 12 Arab and non-Arab countries.

The Secretary General of the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) Naser Al-Qahtani on Sunday emphasized the importance of e-government for promoting the official services offered to the people for achieving sustainable development.

Addressing the Arab forum on e-government in Sharm El-Sheikh, Al-Qahtani called for upgrading performance and resources through effective administrative development.

The e-government projects offer a good opportunity for developing and improving the performance of all official bodies, as they allow rapid achievement, transparency, justice and smooth monitoring and accountability, he told the forum, organized under patronage of Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail.

On his part, Sharm El-Sheikh Governor Khalid Fouda underlined the significance of e-government for realizing sustainable development, amid the communication and information technology. Fouda hoped that the recommendations to be concluded by the forum would help keep pace with modern technology with its direct effect on economic development.

General Manager of the Kuwaiti Nouf EXPO, the exhibition and conferencing division of Nouf Real Estate Co. For General Trading and Contracting Yousef Al-Marzouq General Manager said that IT is no longer “economic luxury” but an “obligatory corridor” for promoting services.

He hoped that the Sharm El-Sheikh forum, organized for the fifth year in a row, would function as a take-off pad for sustainable development where IT and e-government programs play a basic role for “promoting our societies” amid the challenges the Arab countries are countering.

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