Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA – Under the patronage of President Bashar al-Assad, Vice President Najah al-Attar inaugurated on Wednesday the 28th Book Fair at al-Assad National Library in Damascus.
Following the opening ceremony, al-Attar toured the exhibition, and told journalists that the Fair is a special event in the cultural life of Syria.
“Those who have targeted Syria targeted all forms of its life; they targeted its children, universities, and all frontiers of knowledge, and they also repeatedly targeted the Library with the aim of sabotaging not only the political and economic situation in Syria, but the scientific and cultural one,” she added.
Al-Attar lauded the diverse contents of the fair, mainly the political, economic, cultural, translated, and children’s books.
For his part, Minister of Higher Education Atef al-Naddaf said that the Book Fair is evidence of the continuation of life in Syria, asserting that Syria enjoys a high cultural position and peerless civilization which are embodied by the fair’s intellectual, scientific, and cultural diversity.
Information Minister Mohammad Ramez Tourjman said that the fair carries a symbolic and cultural message that Syria is still able to rise no matter what the circumstances are, as it is the cradle of the first alphabet.
Chairman of the Arab Writers Union stressed that the return of the Book Fair paves the way for a genuine resurgence for the Syrian culture.
75 Arab and Syrian publication houses are taking part in the fair which is accompanied by cultural and artistic events, including literary seminars and signing a number of newly released books, in addition to a fine art exhibition for the Syrian Plastic Artists Union.
A number of ministers, party officials and Presidential Political and Media Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban attended the event.
H. Zain / Hazem Sabbagh
Qabas/ Mazen
