ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran will formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore more avenues of cooperation in the fields of literature, arts and culture.
The deal was agreed on by the Prime Minister’s Advisor on National History and Literary Heritage (NH&LH), Irfan Siddiqui and Iranian Cultural Counselor, Shahabuddin Darai during a meeting held on Monday.
Shahabuddin Darai, who has just completed his three-year tenure, invited Irfan Siddiqui to Tehran for signing the MoU.
Accepting his invitation, Irfan Siddiqui said that Pakistan and Iran are tied in a religious, historical, cultural and civilizational bond which requires entails cooperation on literary and cultural fronts.
“Both countries share the same literary and poetic legacy which is vital to bring people of Iran and Pakistan close to each other,” observed Irfan.
He emphasized on taking mutual steps for the preservation and promotion of calligraphy, besides other art fields.
Speaking during the meeting, Shahabuddin Darai paid tribute to theNH&LH division’s exemplary contribution to the promotion of literature, arts and culture in the country during a short span of three years.
“Contribution of this newly created division is a source of inspiration for me and Iranian people,” stated Darai.
The Iranian cultural counsellor appreciated the services of the outgoing counsellor in Pakistan and hoped he will continue his efforts to strengthen relations between Pakistan and Iran.
Acting Iranian Cultural Counselor, Muhammad Raza Kaka, NH&LH division Joint Secretary, Captain (R) Abdul Majeed Niazi and Deputy Secretary, Nazir Ahmad were also present in the meeting.