At the invitation of the Qatari authorities and H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, Mrs Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture of the French Republic, visited Doha from April 19 to 20, 2025 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Qatar Museums.

Visiting Doha during the Qatar Creates celebration, the Minister of Culture praised the strategy implemented by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, which has made this event a cultural milestone and Doha an international cultural capital. During her working visit, Mrs Rachida Dati also visited the Museum of Islamic Art, the National Museum, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Qatar National Library. Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa and Mrs Rachida Dati both expressed great enthusiasm for the commitment of French and Qatari cultural institutions to strengthen their ties with one another.  

This working visit by the Minister of Culture follows on from the commitments made during the state visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, in February 2024, at the invitation of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, on the eve of the 3rd edition of the strategic dialogue between France and Qatar. They are also a legacy of the Year of Culture celebrated between Qatar and France in 2020.

This first visit by a French Minister of Culture to Doha in over twenty years underscores the determination of Qatar and France to strengthen their strategic partnership in the cultural sector. 

The purpose of the visit was to implement the commitments made in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2024 between Mrs Rachida Dati, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, and H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums. 

Since then, the Ministry of Culture and Qatar's cultural institutions have been working together to define new cultural projects. This visit to Doha served to formalize this new horizon in our cultural relationship, with the signing of six framework agreements between leading French and Qatari cultural institutions. 

The Minister of Culture and the Chairperson of Qatar Museums welcomed the signing of the following agreements:

1. Framework agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Qatar Museums. This agreement, signed by Mrs Rachida Dati and H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, defines a collaborative partnership for professional training in the cultural sector. This partnership may involve institutions such as Femis, Manufactures nationales, the Institut national du Patrimoine, and the new Qatar Preparatory School and may include residency programmes.
    
2. Framework agreement between Qatar Museums and the Etablissement public des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie - Valérie Giscard d'Estaing. This partnership will enable collaborations between the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie and existing and new museums in Qatar, including research projects, joint exhibition projects, and academic and educational projects. It could also involve the mutual loan of artworks, reciprocal training programmes, and collaboration on the level of the institutions’ scientific boards.
    
3. Framework agreement between Qatar Museums and the Musée Guimet. This agreement paves the way for collaboration between the two cultural institutions on research, conservation and educational projects dedicated to Asian arts. Mutual loans of artworks may also be proposed within the framework of this partnership, as well as joint exhibition projects, educational activities and residency programs.
    
4. Framework agreement between Qatar Museums and Manufactures nationales - Sèvres and Mobilier national.  This partnership is dedicated to the design and crafts sectors, and aims to strengthen links between French and Qatari designers and craftsmen. It will enable the implementation of research projects and joint exhibitions in Qatar and France. Training programs may also be part of this agreement. The Musée de Sèvres in France will also be a venue for collaboration.
    
5. Cooperation agreement between the Doha Film Institute and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée. Based on the strong relation between French and Qatari film professionals, this agreement will help foster co-production projects between France and Qatar, through a heightened presence of professionals of both countries at their respective festivals. The agreement will also enable the implementation of training programs for film professionals, as well as image education programs for young audiences. It could also be extended to the film heritage sector.
    
6. Memorandum of understanding between the National Library of Qatar and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. This partnership will enable the development of research programs on the collections of both cultural institutions; it will involve training for library professionals and the digitization of Islamic manuscripts held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, to complement the digital collections of the Qatar National Library. 

The number and unprecedented ambition of these partnerships demonstrate the shared determination of France and Qatar to take their cultural relationship to a higher level, and to make it one of the fundamental pillars of their bilateral relationship. 

During the working meeting that preceded the signing of these agreements, the Minister of Culture and the Chairperson of Qatar Museums agreed that, in the coming months, French and Qatari teams would work together to implement these partnerships through the launch of initial projects.