The American University in Dubai (AUD) and the Spanish Government represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation (MAEC) - Spanish Agency for International Co-operation and Development (AECID) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of supporting Spanish studies pertaining to language, culture and literature at the university.

The agreement intends to contribute to academic and institutional development as well as to promote the Spanish language, generating knowledge and fostering cultural rapprochement with the UAE, said José Eugenio Salarich Fernández de Valderrama, the Ambassador of Spain to the UAE, after signing the deal with Miren Itziar Taboada Aquerreta, the director of Cultural and Scientific Relations at AECID and Dr Lance E. de Masi, the AUD president.

As part of the agreement, selected Spanish language lecturers from Spain will be recruited as instructors at AUD, he noted.

De Valderrama described it as a very forward looking project. "It is not only about the signature of an agreement or collaboration between the university and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to provide lecturers on the Spanish language; I think this goes much further, it is a long-term collaboration," he remarked.

"It will open the door for future collaborations, and not only with the American University in Dubai but with other UAE universities for Spain to promote its language, its culture, its literature – this is something of the highest priority and this is part of the relations between the UAE and Spain," stated De Valderrama.

Dr de Masi said: "AUD has been teaching Spanish since 1996, and this will be the second lector in our history. This addition to our faculty provides an opportunity to enrich our pedagogical effectiveness. The attention we pay to this endeavor is justified by the position of Spanish as the world's second international language."

The agreement, is not limited to course work alone, as it targets the enhancement of cultural understanding; lecturers will also be expected to assume cultural duties as representative of their country, he added.-TradeArabia News Service