Manama: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are set to highlight their culture, heritage and achievements at a special event in the Japanese capital Tokyo.
GCC Days, organised annually in a European or Asian city, have been focusing on bridging gaps by building cultural links with international communities in a bid to boost mutual understanding and ensure easier and direct communication at the official and popular levels.
“The GCC has its foundations in common political, social and economic values, customs and concepts as well as in an impressively rich culture made up of the traditions of each of the six member countries,” Maysa Al Thawadi, the director of media follow-up at the Information Affairs Authority in Bahrain, said following a GCC coordination meeting in Riyadh.
The GCC, established in 1981, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“The GCC Days were launched to reach out to the international community and help people gain greater insights into the GCC identity, culture and achievements. The GCC common drive, in line with the GCC media strategy, also includes highlighting political advances and social accomplishments at international events. The focus at the Riyadh meeting was on the GCC Days to be held in Tokyo in April in coordination with the GCC Secretariat General,” she said.
The GCC Days will feature seminars, handicraft displays, and media and cultural events about the GCC countries as well as on GCC-Japanese relations.
Misconceptions
“The foreign media officials in the GCC member states together organise such joint events to convey the reality on the ground in our countries and to share with the international community our progress in several fields. Unfortunately, not all people are aware of the GCC as it truly is, and not many people are aware that the GCC bases its contribution to the civilised world on a culture that values high moral qualities that include peace, tolerance and cooperation and understanding with all communities, as well as on a sound forward-looking education and advantageous advancements across a wide spectrum of fields,” Maysa said.
“It is highly significant that misconceptions and misleading information about the GCC are properly addressed so that the genuine facts and the correct details that are at times misinterpreted or ignored are clearly explained and made available to all people,” she said.
The GCC Days in Tokyo will be the tenth to be held by the GCC countries. Previous days were organised in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, The Hague, Madrid, Rome, London and Seoul. The last GCC Days were in the Swedish capital Stockholm in November 2013.
