Culture Ministry holds 2020 state awards of recognition ceremony

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh on Monday attended a ceremony held by the Ministry of Culture at the Royal Cultural Centre to distribute the 2020 state awards of recognition.

Culture Minister Bassem Tweissi, in a speech during the ceremony held as part of the ministry’s celebrations of the centennial of the establishment of the Jordanian state, said that these awards are a sign of recognition from the state to "those givers who contributed to raising awareness and instilling knowledge.

Tweissi also highlighted the importance of sustaining the award that the ministry distributes annually since 1977 to Jordanian scientists, artists, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister added:  “100 years ago today, Jordanians and the early Hashemites formed the first and most noble social pact in the modern history of Arabs, which was based on moral and political clarity, with the Jordanian citizen being the essence of this pact”.

He also said that holding the award ceremony this year, despite the difficult circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, stresses “a state of determination” by the government to honour its pledges to the country’s excelling and creative generations.

Actor Abdulkarim Al Qawasmi delivered a speech on behalf of the winners, in which he expressed appreciation for the ministry’s awards as part of its “determination to support creativity and competences” despite the pandemic.