PARIS, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- The French Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that France had formally inked an agreement with Abu Dhabi aimed at enhancing cultural cooperation and creating a mechanism to boost exchanges between the two partners.
The accord was signed by Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon, the President of the cultural and tourist authority in Abu Dhabi and by Frances Culture Minister, Christine Albanel.
The accord covers an undertaking by 'France Museums' to build a museum in Abu Dhabi modelled on the world famous Louvre building in Paris. The project will be carried out in partnership with Abu Dhabis "Tourism, Development and Investment Company," the French Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"This agreement is an essential step for the ambitious and novel cooperation project between the museums in France and Abu Dhabi," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said.
She noted that the project had received intergovernmental approval in March 2007.
France has been seeking to expand these kind of contacts and exchanges with the UAE and is also opening a wing of the Sorbonne University there this year. (End)
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