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.