RIYADH, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation on Sunday signed an executive program to strengthen cultural collaboration between the two countries.

Under the program, the two sides will conduct joint research projects and compile cultural materials about each other drawn from their respective national archives, providing academic support for historical research and cultural exchange.

The program also includes plans to organize joint conferences and support mutual visits and exchanges between cultural researchers from Saudi Arabia and China.

The agreement aims to bolster joint efforts in cultural preservation and research, and to enhance intercultural and intellectual ties, the Saudi ministry said in a statement.

The deal was signed by Maha Abdullah Alsenan, deputy minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs, and Cheng Wei, vice president of Beijing International Studies University and deputy director of the joint committee of China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation. ■