Baghdad, February 16: Arbil has played host to a large Iranian book fair in an attempt to expand cultural and economic ties with Iraqi Kurdistan.
Some 15,000 books in various subjects such as politics, philosophy, religion, and science by famous Iranian authors such as the works of Iranian scholar and university lecturer Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari were put on display.
“Iran is very rich in terms of culture, arts and civilization,” said governor of Arbil Nawzad Hadi during the opening ceremony.
Historically, Iran and Kurdistan have had good political relations which improved since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“The Iranian culture is one of the richest in the world. I can say if you take the Iranian culture out of the world civilizations, you have taken an important part of world’s history,” former culture minister Falakadin Kakaye told Press TV.
“Indeed one of the things I am proud of, is that I went to Iran and learned the Persian language, which opened a rich cultural gate for me to read the writings of poets like Hafiz Shirazi and Mowlavi,” Kakaye said.
This Iranian cultural contribution, which is part of a larger political and economic relationship, seems well received by the Kurds in the safest region of Iraq.
The exhibit, which opened on February 15, was attended by top Kurdish officials and community.
—Agencies