Cairo, February 03 (QNA) - Amid widespread acclaim for Doha's cultural contributions, Egypt's Minister of Culture Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno officially handed over the "Guest of Honor" mantle for the 58th Cairo International Book Fair (2027) to HE Qatar's Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Thani.

The ceremony took place during the closing events of the 57th edition of the fair, which launched on January 21 under the theme "One who stops reading for an hour falls centuries behind."

This year's edition featured Romania as the Guest of Honor and saw a distinguished participation from the Qatari Ministry of Culture alongside several Qatari publishing houses.

In this context, Director of the Libraries Department at the Ministry of Culture and Director of the Doha International Book Fair Jassim Ahmed Al Buainain confirmed to Qatar News Agency (QNA) the Ministry's full readiness for the upcoming role.

He emphasized that the Cairo International Book Fair remains one of the Arab world's premier events in terms of international participation, publishing volume, and its prestigious cultural program.

Al Buainain noted that the 58th edition is set to be exceptional, adding that Qatar's robust presence in the current session reflects ongoing efforts to bolster the nation's footprint on regional and global cultural stages, raise awareness of its heritage, and highlight Doha's growing contributions to the global cultural movement.

For his part, Director General of Qatar's Dar Al Kutub and First Vice-President of the Arab Publishers Association Ibrahim Al Bohashem Al Sayed described the designation as a "crowning achievement" for Qatar's consistent and distinguished involvement in the fair.

He highlighted Cairo's fair as one of the oldest and largest in the world, maintaining its prestige since its inception in 1969 as part of the elite circuit of Arab fairs, alongside Beirut (1951), Baghdad (1957), and Doha (1972).

He assured that preparations for Cairo 2027 would receive full support to match Qatar's cultural standing and to strengthen bridges of cooperation with Egypt.

He expressed confidence that the Guest of Honor showcase would be extraordinary, reflecting the evolution and diversity of Qatar's cultural scene.

He further lauded the significant support provided by the Ministry of Culture, led by HE Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani, which has facilitated a qualitative leap in Qatar's participation over the last three years in terms of pavilion quality and accompanying events.

President of the Arab Publishers Association Mohamed Rashad also praised the selection, noting that Qatar's pavilion this year offered an impressive display of the nation's literature and intellectual thought.

He pointed out that the Qatari writers and intellectuals present demonstrated high professionalism, effectively articulating Doha's cultural mission.

Rashad highlighted the growing interest in Qatari participation, marked by an increase in the number of participating publishing houses this year.

He also commended Qatar's influential role within the Arab Publishers Association, specifically noting the re-election of Ibrahim Al Bohashem Al Sayed as First Vice-President and the election of Dr. Aisha Jassim Al Kuwari (CEO of Roza Publishing) to the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Arab Relations Committee.

These milestones, he concluded, reflect the commitment of Qatari publishers to playing a dynamic and proactive role on both the Arab and international stages.

In turn, member of the Supreme Committee of the Cairo International Book Fair poet Ahmed El Shahawy told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the selection of the State of Qatar to be the guest of honor of the fair for 2027 reflects the depth of cultural exchange between Egypt and the State of Qatar. He noted that the selection of the State of Qatar did not come about by chance, but rather coincides with the launch of the Egyptian-Qatari Cultural Year, which represents an important milestone for embodying the distinguished bilateral relations between the two fraternal countries.

He pointed to the ongoing coordination and constructive dialogue between the Supreme Committee of the Cairo International Book Fair and the relevant officials from the State of Qatar in this regard. He noted that the close relations that bind Egyptian intellectuals to their Qatari counterparts will guarantee success and excellence in participating as a guest of honor at the fair, citing the great success and media momentum achieved by the seminars of the 'Katara Prize for Arabic Novel' recently in Egypt, which witnessed a remarkable attendance from the icons of the Egyptian cultural scene.

El Shahawy expressed his confidence that the State of Qatar is making intensive preparations to ensure an effective and high-quality participation as the guest of honor of the next edition of the Cairo International Book Fair, going beyond merely displaying publications, to include a live presence of cultural elites, including poets, novelists, and academics, thus ensuring the creation of a rich dialogue. He pointed out that the State of Qatar has become an important figure and a fundamental pillar in the scene of Arab and international book fairs thanks to its adoption of pioneering intellectual initiatives and its celebration of creative people. In this regard, he also praised the Qatari awards that encourage creativity and contribute to enriching Arab cultural life, especially the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel and the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding.

The 57th Cairo International Book Fair witnessed a distinguished participation from the Ministry of Culture and a group of Qatari publishing houses, which displayed their latest publications in various fields, namely: Rosa Publishing House, Dar Al Watad, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, Katara Publishing House, in addition to the Security Research and Studies Center of the Police Academy, and the Global Committee for Quranic Reflection.

The Cairo International Book Fair also witnessed the organization of distinguished Qatari cultural activities and events, including a seminar on the book issued by the Ministry of Culture on The History of Book Fairs in the State of Qatar, by its author Mishari Ali Al Namlan, which dealt with the beginning of book fairs in the State of Qatar and how the idea was born from the Doha International Book Fair, which began in 1972.

The closing day of the 57th Cairo International Book Fair witnessed the honoring of the winners of its various awards, and the Naguib Mahfouz Award in its first edition, which was won by the Tunisian novelist Dr. Nizar Shaqroun for his novel "Days of the Murdered Fatimid," as well as holding a closing artistic ceremony in a new tradition aimed at enhancing the cultural and artistic dimension of this fair.

The 57th Cairo International Book Fair witnessed an unprecedented influx of visitors, reaching about 6 million visitors since its launch on Jan. 21st. It also witnessed an unprecedented participation from 1,457 publishing houses from 83 countries, with a total of 6,637 exhibitors. The fair also included a cultural and intellectual program that included 400 events, 100 signing ceremonies, and 120 artistic events, with the participation of 170 Arab and foreign guests, and more than 1,500 intellectuals and creators. (QNA)