King of Spain congratulates Sharjah Ruler at the Zarzuela Palace

The King of Spain Felipe VI received His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, on Wednesday evening.

King Felipe VI welcomed Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi and the accompanying delegation, and congratulated the Sharjah Ruler on the selection of Sharjah as Guest of Honour of the 37th LIBER International Book Fair-Madrid 2019. The King of Spain has lauded the vibrant ongoing cultural exchange between various cultural entities in Spain and the UAE.

During the meeting, the Sharjah Ruler and King Felipe VI held cordial discussions, exchanging views on issues of mutual interest, like the role of culture and education in sustainable development and national advancement.

His Highness presented an Arabic calligraphy painting to the King of Spain, in addition to a collection of his literary works translated into Spanish.

The meeting was attended by Fernando Martín Valenzuela Marzo — Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Spain; Majed Hassan Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Spain; and Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).

Earlier, Sheikh Sultan visited the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana (National Library of Spain).

During his visit, the Sharjah Ruler was briefed by Ana Santos, Director of the Library, on the entire collection the library houses — books, magazines, newspapers, sound recordings, databases, maps and manuscripts.

The Sharjah Ruler toured the historic halls of Maria Moliner and Miguel de Cervantes, which contain a wide range of books and documents accessible to visitors and researchers in an easy and organised way.

Visiting the rare manuscripts section was part of the tour, where the library’s officials showcased a collection of old manuscripts on Islamic, literary and historical sciences, and rare editions of the Holy Qur’an.

He also reviewed a set of geographical maps of the continent of Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.

During his visit, the Sharjah Ruler gifted the library a collection of his literary works translated into Spanish, and also received a collection of literary works as a gift from the library.