RIYADH: The Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Charitable Foundation has launched an Arabic teaching center at Moscow University for International Relations under the directives of Crown Prince Sultan, the foundation’s supreme chairman.
“This center comes in support of the foundation’s efforts and programs to enhance Arab identity in general, and of the Kingdom in particular,” said Prince Faisal bin Sultan, the foundation’s secretary-general.
Prince Faisal said it was the Kingdom’s mission to support the Arabic language, which is the language of Islam.
“As a part of the foundation’s strategy of giving culture top priority, it has adopted ambitious cultural programs aimed at finding cooperation channels with various research, scientific and educational centers and academies in the world,” said Prince Faisal.
The foundation has been cooperating with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and the University of California since 1997, he added.
The center aims to enrich the teaching of Arabic at Moscow University, work toward creating a means of communication and correcting inaccurate understanding of Islamic and Arab culture, said Prince Faisal.
For his part, the foundation’s Director General Majed Al-Qassabi said the center aims to enhance communication between academicians and people interested in the Arabic language, and strengthen further cultural, intellectual and literary cooperation.
He added that the center would offer its services to students at Moscow University and all those working in governmental and administrative bodies, as well as those who work in the private sector and are interested in Arab countries.
Al-Qassabi said the center would also take interest in editing books and programs relating to the Arabic language.
“The center would offer language, translation, conversation and Arabic literature comprehension courses,” he said.
Abdul Aziz Al-Magushi, the foundation’s deputy general director, said the center would be a distinguished addition to the Kingdom’s international cultural activities.
“Moscow University for International Relations is a school for Russian diplomats, and having a specialized center for teaching Arabic and introducing the Arab culture there will no doubt contribute to bridging the gap between the Russian and Arab cultures,” he said.
