UAE and Iraqi culture ministers meet online to discuss partnership and ongoing projects

Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, spoke of the UAE's ongoing support to Iraq's cultural sites

Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, with Hassan Nadhim, Iraqi Minister of Culture and Antiquities, on a call to discuss bilateral relations. Wam

Cultural ties between the UAE and Iraq and the rebuilding of several sites of worship have been discussed by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Hassan Nadhim, Iraqi Minister of Culture and Antiquities, during a remote meeting.

During the call, Al Kaabi congratulated Nadhim on his new position and spoke of her eagerness to develop the cultural partnership between the two countries, Wam reported.

Nadhim took up the position of Iraqi Minister of Culture and Antiquities in early June.

The two ministers also discussed their willingness to complete the projects underway in Mosul.

The UAE is helping to restore Mosul's Al Nuri Mosque and its famed leaning minaret, the 800-year-old Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church and the Conventual Church of Our Lady of the Clock, otherwise known as the Al Saa’a Church.

"The reconstruction of the Al Nuri Mosque sends a strong cultural message against the extremists who destroyed these sites of antiquity, and reflects the efforts of the UAE to promote hope, openness and moderation in the face of extremism," Al Kaabi said.

"We have achieved important successes during the first phase of the project, including removing rubble and mines from the area, as well as its documentation and assessment and the restoration of parts that could be rescued."

In the final days of the military campaign to free Mosul in 2017, ISIS blew up Al Nuri mosque from where the group’s leader had declared the formation of his so-called caliphate just three years before.

The UAE was quick to pledge its support to help restore the building, and in February Al Kaabi announced that the first phase of reconstruction was complete.

During the call with Nadhim, Al Kaabi also stressed the importance of agreeing on future steps for the mosque's restoration, and to make suitable decisions to ensure the project is completed on time.