PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL, THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, PATRONIZED HERE TODAY THE OPENING CEREMONY OF A THREE-DAY SYMPOSIUM TITLED "HISTORICAL CONTACT BETWEEN EUROPE AND ARAB WORLD", CO-ORGANIZED BY KING FAISAL CENTER FOR ISLAMIC RESEARCH AND STUDIES AND THE EMBASSY OF FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY IN RIYADH. ADDRESSING THE GATHERING, PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CENTER, LAUDED THE ISSUE TO BE DISCUSSED AT THE SYMPOSIUM. DESPITE INTERVALS OF RECESS IN THE CULTURAL CONTACT BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS, TIES WERE NEVER CUT, BUT EVEN TURNED FROM WORK AMONG TWO BLOCS TO WORK ON BILATERAL LEVELS, HE SAID. TO REACH THE TARGETED JOINT GOALS, EUROPEANS AND ARABS SHOULD FOCUS ON THE CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, POLITICAL ASPECTS AND ECONOMIC ISSUES, PRINCE TURKI CONCLUDED. ON HIS PART, PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL WAS SKEPTICAL ON THE CORRECTNESS OF THE DATE GIVEN BY SOME HISTORIANS AS THE COMMENCING POINT OF THE ARAB EUROPEAN RELATIONS. I THINK RELATIONS GO BACK DEEP BEFORE 1450, AND THE SYMPOSIUM IS ADVISED TO EXPLORE THAT POINT, HE EXPLAINED. HE CALLED FOR CORRECTING SOME HISTORICAL NAMES AND EVENTS THAT SEND NEGATIVE SIGNALS TO CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. HE NOTED THAT THE SYMPOSIUM COINCIDED WITH THE JOINT MEETINGS OF MINISTERIAL GCC EU COUNCIL SCHEDULED FOR RIYADH ON TUESDAY.
