BEIRUT, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Oman will invest 20 million U.S. dollars to build an opera house in the downtown of Lebanese capital Beirut, Lebanon's caretaker Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has persuaded Solidere, the Lebanese company that developed the Beirut Central District, to offer a plot of land in downtown Beirut for the project, which Oman will entirely fund, said Mortada.
"Omani authorities wished to start the building of the project shortly after a blueprint and design is drawn," Mortada added.
Mortada highlighted the importance of building an opera house in Beirut, which he believes will boost cultural tourism and generate revenues for the country hit hard by a protracted financial crisis.
Mortada met with an Omani delegation on Monday and agreed to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries and organize an Omani cultural week in Lebanon. ■
