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Message from M. Jacques CHIRAC, President of the Republic, to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed AL-NAHYAN, President of the United Arab Emirates, during the signing of the intergovernmental agreement creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi universal museum.
Paris, 6 March 2007
President Khalifa,
Today we are celebrating a landmark event; not only for our two countries, which have such friendly and trusting relations, but also for a certain idea of the world, which the United Arab Emirates and France want to promote together.
It is the concept of a world in which people can be not only proud of their roots and identity, but also open to the Other and conscious of the equal dignity of all cultures. A world which realizes that the clash of civilizations is the most dangerous trap of our times, and wants to promote dialogue between peoples in a spirit of openness, tolerance and respect. In this regard, it is a visionary project today bringing together the United Arab Emirates and France. A project I want to be an example and attract a following.
By choosing the Louvre, the emirate of Abu Dhabi did not just want to enter into partnership with the world's most visited and well-known museum. It chose one whose mission, from the outset, has been to attain the universal, i.e. the essence of mankind, through contemplation of works of art.
Created from ancient French royal collections and constantly enriched over more than two centuries, the Louvre has from its inception firmly believed that art conveys universality.
With the Louvre, the emirate of Abu Dhabi is paying tribute to the classical heritage and masterpieces of the past. But in so doing, it is also committing itself to discovering the artistic output from across the centuries, all the works inspired by the heritage of the past and projecting forwards to the future.
We are here at the heart of the most contemporary and at the same time noblest conception of culture. The one the international community has just endorsed by adopting, at UNESCO, the convention on cultural diversity which will come into force on 18 March this year.
The creation of the Louvre Abu Dhabi universal museum is a founding gesture. It's a historic moment and an unprecedented ambition. We could not give a more striking demonstration, before the whole world, of our common faith in the promises held out by the dialogue of cultures.
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