He pointed to ongoing work between the ministries of culture in Jordan and Syria to enhance cooperation, indicating that the coming period will witness a review and expansion of the frameworks governing cultural relations, foremost among them the cultural cooperation agreement between the two countries signed in 1975, which he believes needs its provisions developed to keep pace with the needs of the current phase.
Al-Saleh's statements come at a time when Jordanian Minister of Culture, Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh, confirmed during his meeting with his Syrian counterpart in Amman that the two countries are working to enhance cooperation in cultural fields, noting the intention to sign a new memorandum of understanding that includes a number of joint cultural programs and files.
Al-Saleh also affirmed the Syrian side's readiness to benefit from the Jordanian cultural experience in a number of programs and projects.
Speaking about the Syrian presence in Jordan, Al-Saleh praised the climate that Jordan has provided for Syrian creators, considering that their presence in the Kingdom could form an additional bridge for cultural communication between the two countries, and that the interaction between intellectuals and artists from both sides opens new spaces for cooperation.
He also praised the positions of His Majesty King Abdullah II towards Syria, pointing to his recent speech at the United Nations and what it included regarding the Syrian issue.
Regarding cooperation in the field of heritage, Al-Saleh pointed to Syria's interest in developing intangible cultural heritage files and working with a number of Arab countries on joint files, emphasizing the importance of Arab cooperation in protecting, documenting, and promoting heritage elements.
The Syrian minister touched on his country's efforts to recover antiquities that were looted during the years of the crisis, noting the recovery of more than four thousand artifacts, and communication with UNESCO regarding archaeological and historical sites, in addition to working on restoring a number of sites that were damaged.
Al-Saleh affirmed that the Syrian participation in the Amman International Book Fair as a guest of honor represents an opportunity to introduce the Jordanian and Arab public to the Syrian cultural scene, as well as Syrian heritage and creativity, and to strengthen bridges of communication between intellectuals and publishers in both countries.
The session is part of the activities of the 25th Amman International Book Fair, in which Syria is the guest of honor, and in which about 400 publishing houses and institutions from 22 countries are participating.
