Damascus, (SANA)- Ministry of Expatriates held on Thursday a ceremony to honor the Syrian writer Yehia al-Qadamani, owner of al-Mazra'a Award for Literary and Artistic Innovation.

Minister of Expatriates Joseph Suweid highly estimated the cultural value of al-Mazra'a Award and its role in sponsoring Syrian and Arab authors and introducing their artistic innovations and literary works to the cultural scene.

Al-Qadamani, who has lived in the United Arab Emirates since 1976, expressed gratitude to be honored in his home country, considering his honoring as an honoring of all Syrian expatriates who convey their country's message to the countries of residence.

He pointed out that al-Mazra'a Award aims at discovering people with artistic and literary creativity and talents from all over the Arab world and supporting them through publishing and distributing their works in the Arab countries.

Al-Mazra'a Award for Literary and Artistic Innovation was established by Yehia al-Qadamani in 1998. The awards include novel, poetry, short story and theater. The total value of the prizes is more than SYP 1 million (1 USD is equivalent to about 47 SYP).

Haifa