FROM LEFT: Ambassador of Japan Satoshi Maeda, Ambassador of Indonesia Ridwan Hassan, Ambassador of Italy Alessandro Prunas, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A Baker, and South Korean Ambassador Joon-ho Lee
Doha: Diplomats from various countries are lauding the 31st Doha International Book Fair highlighting its importance for the culture of reading and cultural exchange.
Japanese Ambassador, H E Satoshi Maeda, said: “I saw a lot of books written in Arabic, English and other languages. I personally liked books very much, so very pleased to be here and I expect a lot of cooperation between the two countries on this cultural field.”
Indonesian Ambassador, H E Ridwan Hassan, whose embassy is joining for the first time, said the book fair is significant to have an exchange of information. “The culture of reading is important especially for children. This is the way of educating people to love the book, love to read.”
Meanwhile, South Korean Ambassador H E Joon-ho Lee said he was excited to be part of the fair. He added that his embassy’s booth features numerous books on Korean culture, tourism, history and culinary scene, written in English, Korean and Arabic.
Italian Ambassador H E Alessandro Prunas said he was “impressed with the quality and quantity of exhibitors. It caters to a lot of different tastes, from children to adults. I saw that the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies is also participating, so you have the high-end universities, academic institutions, all the way to children’s books, so it’s really looking very promising.”
This year’s Guest of honour for the book fair is the United States. Chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Doha, Natalie A. Baker, said she was impressed with the quality of the books, and that they are beautiful and well-constructed.
“We are proud to display a diverse collection of books by renowned American authors and publishers to advance our shared values of literacy and learning,” she added.
The 31st Doha International Book Fair will run until January 22 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center located in West Bay. It is open from 9am to 10pm daily except for Friday, when it will open from 3pm to 10pm. A pre-registration is needed to enter the fair through its website 31.dohabookfair.qa.
