Babtain opens Arab-European dialogue institute in Rome

The Chairman of the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain's Prize for Poetic Creativity is to inaugurate the "Arab-European cultural dialogue institute" in Rome on Friday, with the aim of promoting the value and ethics of dialogue in the two concerned communities. A statement by the foundation, Monday, said Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain is to be president of the new institute, co-founded by his foundation and an Italian center and a Belgian institute. The aim of the new institute is to stress dialogue as a way of life and policy of choice, whether in interaction between Arab and European communities or between other groups of different cultural and religious backgrounds. The activities of the institute would be in two areas; it would prepare and execute scientific courses and programs in the Arab World and Europe and offer courses in the main languages used in both. It would also offer classes on social norms and preferable means of communication with the communities concerned. The second area involves organizing seminars, conferences, and forums with participation of leading figures, specialists, and men of letters from both sides. This is along with holding one forum at least every year with a series of lectures by specialists on select topics. The founding of this new cultural institution is part of the efforts of the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain's Prize for Poetic Creativity to help promote the culture of peaceful and constructive interaction around the world, the statement said. It comes to consolidate work which started in 1974 with offer of the Babtain Higher Studies Scholarship, the establishment of the foundation in 1989, the setting up of the Babtain Center for Translation in 2004, as well as the founding of the Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Center for Inter-Civilization Dialogue in 2005.