Jan. 7 – The relationship between the city of Rome and the United Arab Emirates is a continuously growing relationship, which culminated in the hosting of the Roma Prize festival, at its 14th edition, yesterday in Abu Dhabi. The event consists in a fiction and non-fiction literature competition, which saw the participation of the Councilor for Productive Activities of Roma Capitale, Davide Bordoni, together with the Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Giorgio Starace, and the president of Rom Prize, Aldo Milesi. 2013 will be dedicated to the UAE: in fact, the competition selects a world capital each year to promote intercultural exchanges, and this year the Emirate capital was chosen by virtue of the country’s important role in terms of technology innovation, science and culture. Bordoni gave the Lupa Capitolina, the symbol of the Eternal City, to Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Authority for Tourism and Culture of Abu Dhabi, in the name of the productive and exciting collaboration between the two cities. The presentation ceremony was also attended by Alessandro Picozzi, a member of the Award’s Honorary Committee. “Rome and Abu Dhabi – said Bordoni – share a role as leading cities in the fields of culture, tourism and commerce: the Roma Prize is the ideal bridge between these two realities and remains a vehicle of tremendous value to promote the image and culture of Rome. The final award, as in past years, will be assigned in the month of July during the awards ceremony that will take place in the beautiful setting of the Ancient Roman Theatre of Ostia Antica.” Ambassador Starace later added, “the message behind the Roma Prize is based on fundamental values such as culture, the importance of the relationship between tradition and modernity, and pluralism in scientific thought. The balance between these elements is the testimony of how intense and fruitful relations between Rome and the United Arab Emirates are, with the latter being a country rich in traditions and projected into the future. The Roma Prize is an opportunity to develop a more concrete dialogue in all areas.”
