TEHRAN- The organizers of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair have announced that Yemen will replace India as the special guest of this edition of the book fair.

Ali Ramezani, the spokesperson of the fair, shared on his social media pages that Yemen has taken over the role previously held by India.

Initially, India was designated as the special guest of the book fair, but due to restrictions on Indian citizens traveling to Iran, the organizers made the decision to replace India with Yemen, Mehr reported on Sunday. 

In response to these developments, Ramazani released a statement, explaining that India's absence is due to ongoing restrictions on Indian citizens in Iran following Operation True Promise. As a result, Yemen will now be the special guest of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair.

In February, a cultural memorandum of understanding was signed between the organizers of the Tehran International Book Fair and the New Delhi International Book Fair, with the aim of promoting cultural exchange between Iran and India through literature.

As part of this agreement, India was initially designated as the special guest of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair, and Iran was set to reciprocate as the special guest of the New Delhi International Book Fair in 2025. 

With only 10 days remaining until the event, it remains to be seen what plans Yemen has for its participation in the Tehran International Book Fair.

Being Iran’s major trade fair for books, the TIBF has been turned into a landmark, momentous book fair in West Asia after 34 editions in a row. Millions of visitors inspect the fair every year, including thousands of university students, scholars, and their families.

The cultural event currently serves as the most significant cultural event in Iran. On average 2,500 domestic and 600 foreign publishers participate in the landmark event. The foreign publishers substantially offer their materials in English or Arabic however titles in French, German, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are also available.

The 35th Tehran International Book Fair, with the slogan "Let's Read and Create," will be held from May 8 to 18 in the Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla.

SAB/