​A memorandum of understanding was signed between Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) and ECO Cultural Institute (ECI) on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

According to the university's Public Relations Office, Dr. Nasiri Gheidari, President of SBU, met with Dr. Sarvar Bakhti, President of the ECI and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed to expand and deepen joint cooperation. The memorandum has been prepared by the International Scientific Cooperation Directorate of the university.

The accompanying delegation was composed of Mrs. Mirbagheri, Director of International Relations at the ECI, Mrs. Nazari, Representative of Afghanistan at the ECI, Mr. Shah Mansour Shahmirza, Expert from Tajikistan at the ECI, and Dr. Nosratzadegan, Director of Presidential Office of the ECI. The meeting was attended by officials from SBU, including Dr. Rasouli, Advisor to the President and Director of the Presidential and Public Relations Office, Dr. Khatami, Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Dr. Saeidi, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Dr. Ahmadvand, Associate Dean for Research of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, and Dr. Karimian, Director of the International Scientific Cooperation Directorate.

 

Welcoming the guests, Dr. Nasiri referred to the nationality and homeland of Dr. Sarwar Bakhti, and stated: “Tajikistan is respectful for us in terms of common culture and language and as a friend and neighbor, and we are eager to communicate and interact together.”

Referring to the cultural and historical ties among the Persian-speaking countries, he said: “At face value, the languages ​​of Tajikistan, Iran and Afghanistan are divided into three languages, Tajik, Persian and Dari. However, the origin of these languages is the same. We should not neglect our mother tongue; Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan are one of the main areas of the great Aryan civilization. I hope that we will be able to carry out joint activities in line with the tasks of the ECI, especially with respect to universities. A common language binds countries together like a strong string. By introducing a common heritage to the world and carrying out joint scientific and research activities, we can add to the growth and richness of the glorious Iranian civilization.”

Referring to the MoU, Dr. Nasiri stated: “Considering the mission of the ECI in protecting the rich common cultural heritage of the member countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the importance and necessity of facilitating and strengthening the interactions of regional thinkers in the field of culture and civilization and its role in the development of cultural, artistic, media, academic and research interactions between the countries of the ECO region, this MoU is signed between SBU and the ECO organization. A steering committee will be formed to implement this MoU and future plans.”

 

Expressing his happiness with attending SBU, Dr. Sarvar Bakhti said: “Ten countries are members of the ECO, all of which have common ties. One of the main tasks of this organization is to commemorate this precious heritage, expand cooperation and strengthen ties between the people of these ten countries.”

The President of the ECI considered the position of SBU at the national and international level important and said: “SBU is one of the prestigious universities in the region and the presence and activity of students of this scientific center in important fields shows the credibility of this university. Some citizens of the ECO countries studied at SBU, and they now hold important positions. It is an honor for us to work with such a prestigious university. We found SBU as a trusted friend and I hope this friendship will bear good results.”

Dr. Sarvar Bakhti added: “The ECI is about 25 years old and the main task of this institute is to hold cultural and scientific events with the aim of providing a suitable atmosphere for holding interactions between artists, cultural figures, scholars and thinkers of member countries of the ECO. During these 25 years, the ECI has hold various exhibitions, specialized workshops and commemorations and has published numerous books and magazines, and I am sure that these activities have had and will have a significant role in holding close interactions among the governments and people of the ECO member countries.”

The President of the ECI emphasized: “The signing of this MoU will be the beginning of extensive and valuable cooperation and a new step to expand cooperation. Practicality is an important feature of this MoU and the priority of cooperation is clearly stated in this memorandum.”

Proposing to hold Persian language courses for diplomats working in Iran in cooperation with SBU, Dr. Bakhti added: “Holding this training course is very important and I hope that by implementing and operationalizing it, we can take an important step to introduce and develop Persian language.”

He added: “Persian language has been and will be one of the languages ​​of civilization. By examining all the manuscript heritage of the ten ECO member countries, we will see that many of these valuable works are in Persian or Arabic. We should cherish this language and make it grow.”

Dr. Rasouli, Advisor to the President of SBU, emphasized on the expansion of scientific cooperation and said: “SBU is one of the largest universities in the country. It is also an international university and has hosted figures and representatives of important countries from all over the world during the past years. The main approach of SBU is to establish, expand and promote international cooperation, especially with the countries of the region. Therefore, joint cooperation with the ECI as an important institute in the region is important in forming regional communications and interactions.”

Announcing the readiness of SBU to expand and deepen the activities, Dr. Rasouli pointed to the strengths and capacities of SBU and considered the long-standing cultural and historical commonalities between Iran and Tajikistan as an important opportunity for the development of bilateral cooperation.

In this meeting, the MoU was signed by Dr. Nasiri and Dr. Sarvar Bakhti.