TEHRAN-The pavilion of Yemen, the special guest of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) opened on Thursday at the Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla (prayer grounds).

The opening ceremony was followed by a session titled “The Perspective of Cultural Interactions between Yemen and Iran,” where the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili said: “The launch of the 35th TIBF comes at a time when nearly 7 months have passed since Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and the defeat of the Israeli hegemony.

“In these circumstances, no cultural event in the Islamic world should take place unless it commemorates this significant event. Therefore, the special guest at this year’s edition of the book fair needed to be chosen from among the pioneers of struggle, jihad, and martyrdom, and Yemen was selected for this reason,” ISNA quoted him as saying.

“Today, Yemen has taught the lesson of resistance and jihad to all Muslims worldwide and all the oppressed people in the world. The Yemenis have disrupted the equations of the global arrogance and Zionism,” the minister stressed.

For his part, Yemen’s Deputy Culture Minister Muhammad Haidareh expressed gratitude to Esmaeili for the invitation and said: “Iran has proven that it has deep cultural and civilizational roots. We witness this fact and the unity among Muslims here at this fair.”

“After the advent of Islam, Iran and Yemen shared many cultural commonalities. We all have one Prophet, one Quran, and one Qibla, which are of great importance,” he added.

“Another common factor that strengthens the bond between the two nations is the issue of Palestine. Iran and Yemen have prioritized Palestine as their main concern in the Islamic world and will continue to do so.”

Also speaking at the session was the Yemeni Ambassador to Iran Ebrahim al-Dailami. “Yemen’s participation in the exhibition is an excellent example of good cooperation that will deepen cultural relations between the two nations,” he said.

“The future of cultural ties between the two countries is very bright, and we should strive to sign and implement cultural and social agreements. We can also make use of Iran’s artistic and cinematic experiences in Yemen,” he noted.

Having launched on May 8, the 35th TIBF, with the slogan “Let's Read and Create,” will run through May 18 at Imam Khomeini Mosalla in central Tehran.

SS/