Ramallah- Ma’an- Poet Murad al-Sudani, Secretary-General of the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors, signed a cultural cooperation document with his counterpart, writer Eleftherios Plotarchou, President of the Cypriot Writers Union, in the presence of the Palestinian Ambassador to Cyprus Abdullah al-Attawi, embassy staff, and a group of writers, creators, publishers, and media professionals on the sidelines of the Cyprus Book Fair. The agreement comes a year after the aggression, genocide, and cultural extermination on Gaza, the desecration of the West Bank, and the Judaization of Jerusalem.

The agreement came within the framework of cultural cooperation between the Cypriot Literary Union and the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors, based on the common desire between the two unions to support cultural ties between their members in order to achieve cultural cooperation between the writers of the two friendly unions. The agreement included:

translating selected literary works in each
of the two unions, and exchanging translations of works by young writers from both unions. Taking into consideration the writers and poets of Gaza as a priority as they are subjected to daily targeting, killing, and siege, and publishing literary works that shed light on the history of relations in the literature of Cyprus and Palestine.

The exchange of delegations between the two federations in cultural activities, including lectures, seminars, intellectual and literary meetings, which enhances communication and introduces the literature of the two countries and organizes joint literary events and celebrations in the field of literature.

The agreement also included strengthening relations and joint activities through publications on literary websites on the Internet and in the media in general and providing mutual facilities between members of the association within the available capabilities on both sides, upon the recommendation of the association of which they are members, and participating in book fair
s organized under the auspices of the two federations. The two federations honor distinguished and important poets and writers from the poets and writers of Cyprus and Palestine.

Al-Sudani stressed the importance of the agreement at this time, and Palestine is under the roof of the matter and targeting, saying:

Palestine needs to establish its presence in the world’s consciousness, and we must connect what was severed with the friends of Palestine, its cause and its culture

, and we must restore the initiative with friends, and Cyprus is one of the stations that witnessed an active and remarkable presence of the Palestinian revolution, specifically after the exit from Beirut. He added: The agreement comes after a cultural hiatus from the Cypriot cultural scene and Palestine after the martyrdom of the writer and media figure Hanna Muqbil, Secretary of the Union of Palestinian Writers and Journalists from 1972 until his martyrdom in 1984, and he also served as Editor-in-Chief of Palestine Revolution and the
Quds Press office in Cyprus, and President of the Arab Journalists Union until his martyrdom in 1984… And

on the land of Cyprus, Hamdi Sultan, Abu Hassan Qasim and Marwan Al-Kayali were assassinated. Here, blood always is. With this agreement, we join the Cyprus Union to the World Cultural Front to support Palestine and remember with them their positions and the Trojan voyage in transporting Greek and Cypriot ships for the Palestinian revolution in 82 after leaving Beirut. We invited them to visit Palestine to see the facts on the ground.

In turn, the President of the Cyprus Writers Union praised the agreement, stressing his support for the Palestinian cause and Palestinian culture, emphasizing their activity and movement for Palestine in light of the criminal aggressive war it is being subjected to. We will establish a cultural partnership together in a way that benefits both unions.

Commenting on the signing of the agreement, Ambassador Al-Attari stressed the importance of signing the agreement. We nee
d cultural work and networking of Cypriot-Palestinian relations in a way that enhances joint cooperation and introduces Palestinian culture to Cypriot writers and vice versa.

We have a just cause and a daily tragedy, and our people are confronting the occupation and its falsification with an intertwined cultural diplomacy.

Its statement is more likely to reach the world because it is based on right, honesty, history and truth. We will work to provide everything that would enforce and enhance this agreement. After the signing, Al-Sudani and Ambassador Al-Attari Rois honored the Cypriot Writers Union.

Source: Maan News Agency