TEHRAN – The expansion of cultural relations was discussed in a meeting between National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) Director Reza Salehi-Amiri and Director of the National Library of China Han Yongjin in Tehran on Wednesday.

The two directors met at the national library in Tehran and talked about the exchange of books and educational resources between the two libraries to help raise the level of academic achievements.

Salehi-Amiri emphasized cultural and academic relations, adding that the visit by the director of the Chinese library can lead to boosting cultural relations, NLAI announced in a press release published on Friday.

Han Yongjin who arrived in Tehran at the head of a cultural delegation on Tuesday, said the two libraries have concurrent opinions about gaining future achievements.

Restoration, preservation of historical books and documents, and assessing the standard of care in the two libraries were also discussed at the meeting.

Pointing to the fact that the National Library of China is housing over 30 million of books, Yongjin stressed that the library of China is one of the most comprehensive sources in preserving world historical manuscripts

The Chinese delegation, including Legislative Reference Service Department Director Lu Haiyan, Microforms Department Director Li Xiaoming and Office of the Party and Labor Relations Director Rong Jie, later traveled to Shiraz to visit the Shiraz branch of the National Library and Archives of Iran.

In his meeting with the director of Shiraz branch Kurosh Kamali Sarvestani, Yongjin called the Silk Road an ideal opportunity for more interaction between Iran and China, adding that the collaboration will help reinforce cultural dialogue between the two nations.

The cultural background of Iran and China highlights the deep connection between the two countries and provides an opportunity to put these ideas into practice, he asserted.

The delegation next visited different sections of the library. Visiting the historical sites in Shiraz and Isfahan were also included in the program.

The Chinese delegation is also due to visit the Majlis Library, Museum and Documentation Center in Tehran, while a memorandum of understating is expected to be signed between the National library of China and the University of Tehran’s central library.

RM/YAW
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