A series of meetings were held with officials in the fields of publishing and culture, along with a number of receptions for delegations from several countries and cities, including Canada, Chile, the Spanish region of Catalonia, and the Italian city of Bologna. Ahmed Al-Amari added: «In every international participation of the Authority, we witness the extent of foreign interest in the Sharjah cultural project, and we see the appreciation of major institutions and intellectuals for the developmental project presented by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, which is based on investing in books and restoring their historical role in deepening relations between peoples and civilizations. This is reflected in the public turnout of visitors to the Spanish edition of the book by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, 'The Inquisition... an investigation into twenty-three cases against Muslims in Andalusia,' which is being displayed by the Authority's pavilion participating in the exhibition.» During its participation in the Mexico International Book Fair, the Sharjah Book Authority opened horizons for cooperation and joint work between the Emirati cultural movement and its Mexican and Latin American counterparts. The Authority showcased Sharjah's experience in building knowledge-based societies and leading a developmental project based on cultural dialogue and investing in the awareness of individuals and communities. During the fair, which is one of the largest and most important book fairs in Latin America, the Authority held 30 professional meetings with an elite of cultural institutions, publishers, and government bodies concerned with the knowledge and creativity industry, aiming to explore new cooperation projects, exchange experiences, and develop initiatives that contribute to supporting the movement of translation and publishing and transferring Arabic content to world languages. The CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority, Ahmed bin Rakad Al-Amari, said: «Building effective and solid bridges with cities and countries around the world is one of the cornerstones on which the Sharjah cultural project, led by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, is based. Sharjah believes that its presence at international book fairs is a living representation of Arab and Emirati culture, enhancing its scale of presence and contribution to the global creative and intellectual output.» Building effective and solid bridges with cities and countries around the world is one of the cornerstones on which the Sharjah cultural project is based.
