ET presents Syrian min. of culture's letter to AIFF president

CAIRO – 1 November 2018: Syrian Minister of Culture and film critic, Mohamed al-Ahmad, sent a letter of gratitude and appreciation to president of Alexandria International Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries (AIFF) Amir Abaza.
The letter was received by the festival’s officials on the last day of the festival, which concluded on Oct. 9, and granted Hanna Mina, the late pioneering Syrian novelist, a special gold medal. Veteran Syrian actor Ayman Zeidan received the medal on behalf of Mina’s family.

The letter came as follows:

Dear Mr. president of Alexandria International Film Festival,

I would like to thank you for the kind message, full of loyalty and love, which you have graciously extended to me and for honoring our great writer Hanna Mina.
History proves day after day that the bond between Syrians and Egyptians is stronger than any incidents they may encounter, and pitfalls they get exposed to, and that nothing separates us until the end of time.

My deepest wishes of success, prosperity and progress to Egypt, Egyptians, and to all the Egyptian artists and writers, and, of course, to you personally my dear friend.
Commenting on the letter, Abaza, the president of the AIFF said: "Throughout history, Syrians and Egyptians have been one nation. We must be aware of this; art must be the soft power that solves what politics sometimes destroys.”