A meeting between the Iranian cultural workers and their Turkmen colleagues was held at the Press Center in Ashgabat. The meeting marked the start of the Week of the Literature of the Islamic Republic Iran in Turkmenistan. The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities of Turkmenistan arranged the action aimed at developing the cultural relations between the peoples of two friendly neighbouring countries.

The Iranian delegation consists of the famous writers representing the modern literary schools of Iran including the popular prose writers and poets, the chairman of the Book of the Year Literary Prize State Commission, the editor-in-chief of the Adabiat Dastani Journal, the experts in culture and literature of the IRI Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, the chairman of the State Literary Commission of the Institute of Children’s and Youth’s Intellectual Development, the consultant of the IRI National Library, the director of the Literary Work Center, the main specialist of the Institute on Publishing the works by Imam Homeini and the expert of the Institute of Children’s and Youth’s Intellectual Development.

The Turkmen poets and writers, literary critics and culture experts focusing their activity at studying the history and theory of literature and the cultural contacts of the peoples of the East greeted their Iranian colleagues in the conference hall of the Center.

Speaking at the ceremony Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Turkmenistan Mohammadreza Forghani noticed that the Week of Iranian Literature in Turkmenistan would promote expanding the cultural relations between two fraternal neighbouring countries bound with centuries-old historical and spiritual roots and would become a vivid token of friendship and co-operation.

The meeting of the cultural workers from Turkmenistan and Iran turned into the conversation about the key trends of developing the modern Turkmen and the Iranian literature, the research conducted by the Turkmen and the Iranian writers and poets as well as the problems of translation of the works created by the modern writers into Turkmen and Persian.

The interlocutors emphasized the importance and necessity of the large-scale social and economic reforms initiated by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. They noted that the President’s policy aimed at improving the national educational system and developing national science and culture considerably contributed to the international scientific and cultural exchange.

Within the framework of the Week the Iranian delegation will held the negotiations with the specialists of the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities and the Mejlis of Turkmenistan on March 10-14.

The Iranian poets and writers will have the meetings with the teachers and students of the Magtymguly Turkmen State University and D. Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages. Our guests will visit the libraries, research and cultural centers, museums and theaters, publishing centers and landmarks of the Turkmen capital including the Nisa State Historical and Cultural Reserve, the Geoktepe fortress and the Mosque of Spirituality in Gypjak.

The Iranian delegation will visit the unique monuments of Ancient Merv in the Mary Velayat.