Saudi Gazette report Paris — Saudi Arabia is to use French expertise to set up a national opera and orchestra under an agreement signed here on Monday. “Today an agreement was signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia set up a national orchestra and an opera,” French Culture Minister Françoise Nyssen announced after talks with her Saudi counterpart Awwad Al-Awwad. The deal will see the Paris opera company help the Kingdom produce its own classical music and shows. Nyssen said she discussed with Awwad the importance of translating books in both languages, from Arabic into French and French into Arabic. Speaking on the occasion, Awwad said the Kingdom appreciates the distinguished position enjoyed by France in the cultural and artistic realms. “We recognize the pivotal role of culture and arts in improving the lives of people as they are an organic product for cultural development. Our responsibility is to highlight the cultural components of Saudi Arabia, which is one of the roles assigned to GAC. It works closely to support the local creative community and to highlight the contemporary cultural and artistic movement of Saudi Arabia and its ancient heritage both inside and outside the Kingdom,” he said. Awwad also emphasized that the cultural sector can be transformed into an integrated economic sector, which contributes to boosting the gross domestic product. The event, titled “Total” offers a variety of artistic