RIYADH — Sarah Bint Yousif Al-Amiri, UAE's minister of state for advanced sciences, visited the Riyadh International Book Fair on Sunday.

Al-Amiri toured the UAE pavilion, taking a closer look at its various platforms and offerings including books showcased at the fair as well as the events and activities organized by other participating entities from her country, which is the guest of honor at this year's Riyadh book fair.

Al Amiri said: "The Riyadh International Book Fair is an important platform for the dissemination of culture and knowledge on an international scale and across various fields, especially in the Arabic language. This exhibition has an undoubtedly positive impact on the creative and literary communities across the region. The UAE's participation as part of this exhibition is integral, as it underscores the strong bilateral cultural ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. As always, we look forward to fruitful collaborations in the future, in this field and many others."

Al-Amiri added: "We thank Saudi Arabia for organizing this fair and inviting the UAE as the guest of honor. The relationship we enjoy today has demonstrated positive results in the ongoing strategic development in both countries."

Al-Amiri also attended a seminar on "The Impact of Advanced Sciences on Civilizations" presented by Ibrahim Qasim, director of Strategic Projects at the office of Al-Amiri, alongside a number of writers, intellectuals, journalists and visitors of the fair.

Al-Amiri addressed a number of topics during the seminar including the UAE-Saudi Arabia cooperation across various areas, culture in particular. She highlighted the Kingdom's efforts in spearheading this significant cultural movement.

Additionally, Al-Amiri outlined the UAE's efforts to invest in renewable energy with the aim to achieve a sustainable future.

Discussing her country's initiatives in space exploration, Al-Amiri highlighted the unique nature of space exploration as a field due to the challenges it faces today. She also emphasized that the success of a design for any device intended for space travel lies in extremely high levels of precision and attention to detail, noting the requirement for iterative and flexible designs to allow for autonomous navigation and self-repair wherever needed. Al-Amiri stressed that once the UAE conquered the aerospace industry, it would certainly be able to do so in all other industries.

On the Emirates Mars Mission, Al-Amiri said the project sought to facilitate knowledge transfer as opposed to the development of new technology. She revealed that the design of some electronic parts, configuration of satellites and imaging techniques were currently taking place in the UAE.

Commenting on the development of the Hope Spacecraft, Al-Amiri noted that there were some knowledge gaps recognized along the way, which led to a partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center and three universities in the United States of America. The Hope Spacecraft is set to launch shortly before or during Expo 2020 and is expected to make its inaugural journey to Mars in 2021.

Set to welcome visitors until March 24, the UAE pavilion at the fair features a dynamic blend of traditional and contemporary design and highlights the strong cultural ties between the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Riyadh International Book Fair is one of the largest cultural events in the Kingdom and remains among the most well attended among book exhibitions across the region, with the participation of over 500 Arab and international publishing houses and over 80 cultural events on the sidelines. — SG