RIYADH, 11 August 2004 — British Council bridges cultures between the Kingdom and Britain, observed British Ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles. The envoy was speaking after formally opening the new British Council headquarters in the Diplomatic Quarter yesterday.
The inauguration of the new premises with state-of-the art facilities was attended by a distinguished gathering, which included academicians, Chevening scholars and top officials of the Ministry of Education.
“Saudi Arabia is the heart of Islam and heart of Arabia, and in these difficult times it is more important than ever that the traffic over the bridge flows in both directions,” Cowper-Coles said. “The British Council is just about exporting British culture to the Kingdom and it is also about increasing the understanding in the United Kingdom of one of the world’s greatest and oldest civilizations which is represented here in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Referring to Saudi visitors to Britain, Cowper-Coles said the number had risen by 30 percent. “We are proud to say that 90 percent of the applications for visas to Britain were processed within 24 hours. All what we can say is Saudi visitors are most welcome to the United Kingdom,” the envoy added.
“Shifting to a prestigious new site on the Diplomatic Quarter will enable us to offer a high quality service to all of our contacts and customers, in brand new state-of- the-art premises,” said the British Council’s Director for Saudi Arabia, Alan Smart. He added that the move underlines the commitment of both the British government and the British Council to their ongoing partnership with Saudi Arabia. To emphasize this, he pointed out that the British Council premises in Jeddah have recently been refurbished and the council is actively engaged in developing its new premises in the Eastern Province. This move represents an expansion of the British Council’s activities in the Kingdom,” he stressed.
Finance and Administration Manager of the Council Saifuddin Abdulghaffar recalled that the British Council began its services in the Kingdom in 1975 at the Ministry of Education complex in Dabbab Street, near downtown Batha. Subsequently, it was moved to Al-Mousa Center in 1989.
British Council provides a wide range of services in education, English language teaching and scholarships. Since 1989, it has offered 100 Chevening scholarships to Saudis to pursue postgraduate studies in Britain.
