TEHRAN – A memorandum of understating (MOU) has been signed between Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) and the Alija Izetbegovic Foundation in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

Based on the MOU, which was inked by Iran’s cultural attaché in Bosnia, Amirhossein Nuri, and Alija Izetbegovic Museum director Nada Berberovic-Dizdarevic during a meeting, both sides agreed to expand cultural and academic cooperation, the ICRO announced in a press release published on Wednesday.

The secretary-general of the foundation, Muhamed Mulahmetovic, and Iran’s ambassador to Bosnia, Reza Qelichkhan, were also in attendance at the meeting.

The Alija Izetbegovic Foundation is a non-profit organization that works in cooperation with other organizations to implement social initiatives and cultural programs in accordance with the views and intellectual legacy of Alija Izetbegovic, the first president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The director of the museum said that they are planning to establish a Persian department as the first bilateral project with Iran’s cultural office.

Mulahmetovic also said that the foundation is actually the personal house of the late president Alija Izetbegovic where his memorabilia, awards and other personal items are being preserved.

The late president’s son Bakir Izetbegovic, also present, said that the museum was the home and office of his father during the last years of his life.

Qelichkhan called the late president a national hero for his country and an inspiriting figure in the world of Islam, adding that preserving the spiritual works of the president is necessary both for his country and Iran.

The foundation was established with the aim of contributing to the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the well-being of its peoples and citizens on the principles of freedom, equality, plurality and respect for diversity, connecting and promoting the intellectual potential of the society, developing awareness of the importance of peace, nonviolence and social solidarity.

Photo: Iranian Ambassador Reza Qelichkhan (2nd L) presents a carpet tableau bearing an image of the former president of Bosnia, Alija Izetbegovic, and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to the Alija Izetbegovic Foundation in Sarajevo. 

RM/MMS/YAW