Book Fairs
His Excellency the Attorney General Al-Siddiq Ahmed Al-Sour Receives the Heads of the Arab and Egyptian Publishers Associations on the Sidelines of the Opening of the Public Prosecution International Book Fair in Tripoli
His Excellency the Attorney General, Counselor Al-Siddiq Ahmed Al-Sour, received Mr. Mohamed Rashad, President of the Arab Publishers Association, and Mr. Farid Zahran, President of the Egyptian Publishers Association and Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab Publishers Association, on the sidelines of the opening of the Public Prosecution International Book Fair in its third edition for the year 2026 in Tripoli – State of Libya. The meeting was attended by Mr. Reda Al-Mazoughi, Mr. Omar Ramadan Ben Al-Amin, and Mr. Hassan Ali, Coordinator between the Fair Administration and Arab Publishers.
During the meeting, the President of the Arab Publishers Association expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the Attorney General for his generous patronage and support for the Fair, and for his constructive and fruitful cooperation with the Association. Mr. Farid Zahran also expressed his appreciation to His Excellency the Attorney General for his support and patronage of the Fair.
Mr. Mohamed Rashad praised the excellent organization of the Fair and the good preparation witnessed for the third edition, and pointed to the increasing number of participating Arab and Libyan publishers and the diversity of new publications displayed at the Fair in its third edition. The President of the Arab Publishers Association also pointed to the significant financial support provided by the Fair to universities in its first and second editions, which led to the accreditation of the Public Prosecution International Book Fair by the Arab Publishers Association within the Association’s approved list of international Arab book fairs, due to the Fair’s compliance with the fair accreditation rules during its previous two editions.
Mr. Rashad also referred to the rich cultural program filled with various activities including seminars, meetings and workshops, in addition to the professional program dedicated to the Arab Publishers Association at the Fair in its third edition, through four seminars addressing several main themes including challenges facing the Arab publishing industry, intellectual property rights, the impact of artificial intelligence on the Arab publishing industry, and also employing digital transformation in developing the Arab publishing industry.
The President of the Association also reviewed the difficult circumstances that Arab publishers are going through, and expressed his hope that His Excellency the Attorney General would support the participation of Arab publishers in the Public Prosecution International Book Fair and exempt publishers from rental fees, following the example of some Arab fairs that have exempted Association members from such fees, and provide all assistance to Arab publishers so that they remain and continue in the publishing profession, as was the case in the previous two editions.
For his part, Mr. Farid Zahran, President of the Egyptian Publishers Association and Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab Publishers Association, renewed his request to His Excellency the Attorney General to exempt Egyptian publishers from rental fees, especially since they represent about 40% of the participating publishers in the Fair. In his speech, Mr. Zahran explained that the Egyptian publisher has borne many burdens in order to participate with his Libyan brothers in this huge cultural event, and that one of the most important aspects of the vision of the Egyptian Publishers Association is to motivate its members to participate in Arab fairs, as this participation reflects the extent of the Egyptian publishers’ keenness to extend bridges of communication with their brothers from Arab publishers, including the exchange of experiences in order to achieve the message of culture and awareness.
The President of the Egyptian Publishers Association appreciated the wise decision of His Excellency the Attorney General to hold the Public Prosecution International Book Fair in Tripoli, saying that this is considered conclusive evidence of the sisterly State of Libya regaining its cultural status and its important position on the map of Arab book fairs. According to Mr. Zahran, the decision to hold the Fair for the third edition this year reflects the influential role that judicial bodies play in their society, confirming that the Public Prosecution is not only a fortress of justice and law, but also seeks to consolidate cultural awareness among Libyan citizens.
Mr. Zahran had renewed his invitation to His Excellency the Attorney General, Counselor Al-Siddiq Ahmed Al-Sour, for a meeting bringing together His Excellency and members of the Egyptian Publishers Association, an invitation that was welcomed and accepted by His Excellency the Attorney General.
For his part, and based on the request of the Arab Publishers Association to exempt participating Arab publishers from paying rental fees, His Excellency the Attorney General Al-Siddiq Ahmed Al-Sour approved the exemption of Arab publishers participating in the Fair from booth rental fees, in a step that reflects His Excellency’s keenness to support Arab publishers and encourage the publishing industry.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Mohamed Rashad, President of the Arab Publishers Association, presented the Association’s shield to His Excellency the Counselor Attorney General, in appreciation of his efforts and continuous support for the march of culture and publishing. Mr. Zahran also presented the shield of the Egyptian Publishers Association to His Excellency, in appreciation of his efforts and support for the Public Prosecution Fair.
