Al Ain Alliance Française, the French cultural organisation, will set up a branch at the UAE University (UAEU) to promote the country’s culture and studies among Emirati students. The university will host Alliance Française’s branch for three years during which it will provide an integrated library including books and journals on French culture and history and audio-visual aids, said an official of the UAEU. The initiative was launched on Thursday when a memorandum of understanding was signed by Dr Abdullah Al Khanbashi, Vice Chancellor of the UAEU, and Dr Zaki Anwar Nussaibah, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and the President of the Alliance Française. The event was also attended by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the UAEU, and Alain Azouaou, the Ambassador of France to UAE.The agreement states that UAEU will host the Al Ain branch of the Alliance for three years in order to promote the French language and culture among students and people wanted to broaden cultural ties and exchange culture and art. Alliance Française is an international French organisation that has been promoting French language and culture around the world. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Khanbashi said the initiative will strengthen the existing relations between the two friendly countries. He said French culture is rich and the initiative will be able to open up new communication channels. Dr Nussaibah said the hosting the Alliance by the UAEU will support culture dialogue and understanding between the two nations.from gulfnews.com