Qatar National Library signed a strategic memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with the Nation’s Library (NsL) of the Republic of Turkey to expand knowledge in the fields of education, science and culture, and promote the development of librarianship.
The MoC was signed by Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library, H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari and Director of Administrative Affairs of Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, H E Ambassador Dr. Metin Kıratlı.
The partnership outlines broad areas of collaboration between the two libraries, including scientific, technical and cultural cooperation. The libraries will work together on capacity-building activities to enhance knowledge, skills and experiences through a series of staff exchange programs. They will also conduct online and in-person training activities related to cataloguing and classification, databases, and multimedia systems, among others.
On the occasion, Dr. Al Kawari said: “Partnerships with friendly countries like Turkey are special for us, as we share a common history and culture. This MoC is a celebration of the strong friendship between our countries and a firm cooperation in broad and diverse areas, beyond just culture and education. Our partnership adds to our ongoing collaborations with Turkey, as we also have a joint agreement with the NsL Turkey.”
Speaking to The Peninsula, the Minister of State said that the agreement will focus especially on access to Ottoman archives. Therefore, he said, a delegation will visit Ankara and Istanbul soon to discuss how to utilise this rich cultural heritage.
“Qatar and Turkey are enjoying strategic relationship which is strong politically, economically and now we want to take cultural ties to the same high level by signing this agreement,” he added.
Dr. Kıratlı said, “Over the last decade, Turkey and Qatar have been strengthening bilateral relations across various areas including political, educational, cultural and environmental. It gives us great pleasure to further expand the cultural harmony established between the two countries, by signing a new MoC. With increasing demand and interest in learning the Turkish language and culture, we see this cooperation as a long-term celebration of knowledge and learning.”
The NsL also donated 400 books by popular Turkish authors to Qatar National Library, covering topics including politics, public affairs, research and cuisine.
The books will expand and diversify the Library’s existing collections and help the local community learn more about Turkey and its people.
