Estonia signs cultural cooperation agreement with UAE

TALLINN - Kristiina Alliksaar, secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and Mubarak al Nakhi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signed a cultural cooperation agreement between the two countries in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

"This agreement, which has been prepared by colleagues, ministers and secretaries general for a long time, is an important step in the relations between our two countries, which creates an opportunity for multifaceted cooperation. Estonia and the United Arab Emirates have several overlapping priorities in the field of culture -- for example, cultural education of young people, improving access to culture, digitalization of culture, and the creative economy. In cooperation, we can move forward in these issues with vigor," Alliksaar said.

"The United Arab Emirates is our cultural field's window to breaking into the Middle East market. Our musicians and conductors have been actively performing here in recent years and have been warmly received by the audience. This cultural exchange will definitely intensify in the future. It is a pleasure that we immediately found a common language with our colleague from the UAE regarding the possibilities of the creative economy. They also see great potential in culture as a contributor to the economy, be it through intellectual property or synergy between fields," she added.

"I am very happy about the conclusion of the cultural cooperation agreement. Culture brings countries and people closer to each other, deepens mutual understanding and thereby also helps promote business cooperation. I see great opportunities in culture for the development of business diplomacy, especially in this region. A large number of like-minded countries have already understood this and are placing great emphasis on cultural cooperation in this region," Jaan Reinhold, Estonia's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said.