TEHRAN – A delegation of the printing and publishing sector of the Republic of Tajikistan, accompanied by Bahodur Nazir, counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, visited the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Tehran on December 13. 

During the visit, they met with Ayoub Dehghankar, the scientific, cultural, and management advisor to the deputy minister for cultural affairs at the Culture Ministry, and Abbas Zare, director general of the Office of Printing and Publishing Affairs, IRNA reported.

“In the field of books, nearly 100,000 titles are published annually in Iran, amounting to close to 20 million pages. A significant portion of first-edition books is written by emerging authors, which shows that the flow of authorship in Iran remains dynamic and vibrant,” Dehghankar said.

He emphasized that all these books are produced in domestic printing houses and that, in addition to meeting internal demand, books and printed products are also exported to neighboring countries. He added that Iranian printing houses are not limited to book printing alone and produce a wide range of printed products, which the visiting delegation would become familiar with during their tours.

In another part of his remarks, Dehghankar introduced the Tehran International Book Fair, the Tehran Fellowship Program, the Grant Scheme, and the World Book of the Year Award of the Islamic Republic of Iran, describing these events and initiatives as important capacities for international cooperation in the field of books and publishing.

Also speaking at the session, Abbas Zare referred to the history of the printing industry in Iran and said: “Iran is one of the hubs of the printing industry in West Asia. The history of this industry in our country dates back more than 400 years, to the establishment of the first printing house at the Vank Cathedral in Isfahan. This reminds us that Iran was the first country in the region to officially introduce the printing industry.”

“Today, nearly 11,000 printing units are active across the country, and Iran is capable of meeting domestic needs in this sector and is largely self-sufficient. Relying on the capacity of these units, a part of the regional market has also come under the reach of Iran’s printing industry,” he noted.

Referring to export statistics, he said: “In the first six months of the current year, more than 20,000 tons of printed products were exported. Among the export destinations, the friendly and neighboring country of Tajikistan ranks seventh, with about 214,000 kilograms of printed products exported to that country. We are ready to expand this cooperation, especially in the fields of books, periodicals, and the packaging industry.”

In another part of the meeting, Bahodur Nazir briefly referred to the shared cultural capacities of the two countries and introduced the members of the Tajik delegation.

Subsequently, members of the Tajik delegation presented their views and concerns in various areas of publishing and the printing industry and discussed ways to develop bilateral cooperation with officials of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

SS/SAB