Sharjah book fair participates in New Delhi book fair

Sharjah, Feb 22 (IANS/WAM) The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is participating in the 21st edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair here Feb 15-23 that was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Spread over 54,000 square metres, the New Delhi World Book Fair, is witnessing the participation of 1,070 exhibitors from India and abroad, alongside special stands by international organisations, such as the World health Organisation, Unesco and the World Bank.

The SIBF delegation, headed by Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, director of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), includes Salim Omar Salim, head of sales and marketing at SIBF, and Mohan Kumar, external affairs executive at SIBF.

"Our participation comes in line with the directives of Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, member of the UAE Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, to interact with the cultures of the world and to develop ties of friendship binding the UAE with other countries across the globe," Al Ameri was Saturday quoted as saying.

"The SIBF participation also aims to promote Sharjah's position as a cultural hub, as we celebrate the selection of Sharjah as the Capital of Islamic Culture this year, as well as to highlight our cultural identity and vision within the global cultural system," he added.

According to Al Ameri, as India is one of the largest trade partners of the UAE, "we strive to develop this partnership to include culture".

"To achieve this goal, we participated last month in the Jaipur Literature Festival, which took place in the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan Jan 17-21. We made the best use of this opportunity in networking with leading Indian publishers and publishing houses to invite them to participate in the upcoming edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, which will be held Nov 5-15 , especially as the UAE is home to a large Indian community, the members of whom look forward to buy books in various dialects and languages of their home country," the SIBF director said.

--IANS/WAM

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