We are ready to host Turkey as the special guest of the 2026 book fair.

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), quoting the Public Relations Department of the Cultural Affairs Vice-Presidency of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohsen Javadi, Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs, met and discussed with Hijabi Kırlangıç, the Turkish Ambassador to Iran, on Wednesday (November 11, 2025). Ayub Dehghankar, Scientific, Cultural, and Managerial Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs, and a number of Iranian and Turkish cultural experts were present at this meeting.

The Language of Culture is Above the Language of Politics

Mohsen Javadi began the meeting by emphasizing the importance of cultural issues, stating: “As you mentioned, the language of culture is above the language of politics, and because it is closer to human spirituality and emotional aspects, its acceptance is more universal and easier, and it can be a point of consensus for human excellence and a starting point for joint cultural activities.”

He continued by referring to common cultural grounds for cooperation between the two countries, remarking: “During Dr. Salehi’s recent trip to Turkey, proposals were made that are noteworthy, such as the suggestion to create a cultural route from Khoy to Konya, which provides a good ground for expanding spiritual and philosophical tourism between the two countries and links histories.”

Javadi stated that the topic most related to the Cultural Affairs Vice-Presidency is in the field of books and publishing, adding: “I am aware of your personal interest in books and your research in Persian and Turkish language and literature, and I consider it a good opportunity for us to have serious joint activities in the field of books. It seems that the young generation of Turkey and Iran has not had much opportunity to refer to rich historical and literary books. In this regard, we can increase familiarity with this field by publishing selected classical Iranian literature in Turkey and vice versa. Given that Turkish publishing has recently grown significantly, and the correctional works they are doing on our historical books are very remarkable, it is a good opportunity to explain past history to our young generation.”

The Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs reminded: “Of course, part of the work also relates to contemporary literature. Iranian people have a great interest in Turkish novels and storybooks. You are certainly aware of the extent of Turkish storybook publications in Iran, and Iranian storybooks have also been translated and published in Turkey. It is good that this connection has been established in the field of contemporary stories. We do not want to remain only in the past and must also address contemporary works.”

Javadi then referred to the Tehran International Book Fair and said: “The Cultural Affairs Vice-Presidency of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is responsible for organizing this exhibition. Although this year was the cultural year of Iran and Turkey, for various reasons, we could not implement some of the programs we had planned. However, in this regard, we are ready, if Turkey is willing, to host Turkey as the special guest of the Tehran International Book Fair in 2026, and reciprocally, we would be the special guest of the Turkish Book Fair 2026. The advantage is that it continues the special guest status of 2025, and we can implement the works that have not been done. If it is not possible, we can host Turkey in 2027.”

He continued his remarks by stating: “As you know, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has declared this year the 1500th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet of Mercy (PBUH) and has asked Islamic countries to carry out activities in this regard. Given that Turkey has a rich heritage concerning poetry and literature related to the Prophet of Mercy (PBUH), we can have a joint program in this area, and the Prophet of Mercy (PBUH) can be a point of unity among Muslims.”

Javadi stated: “The next point is that many countries in the world today are grappling with social and environmental challenges. Given your activity in the academic sphere, we can create a space in universities for cultural dialogues among students and young people to discuss these issues and find solutions for the future.”

We Are Not Separate in Terms of Culture and Language

The Turkish Ambassador to Iran also addressed the importance of culture in this meeting, saying: “Culture is very important to me because my specialization is in this field. I worked for 10 years in the Turkish Writers’ Association and was its president for 5 years, participating in various book fairs. Also, given my academic activities, in past years, when relations between Iran and Turkey were strained due to politics, we collaborated with the Iranian embassy and cultural attaché in Turkey and organized programs in the fields of culture, literature, poetry, art, and music. For example, in 2009, we held a Hafez Congress, and after that, we had programs about Khayyam, Saadi, and others.”

Hijabi Kırlangıç emphasized that “we are not separate in terms of culture and language,” explaining: “Language, in terms of roots, idioms, and common customs, is shared, except that one is expressed in Turkish and the other in Persian. In my opinion, all the programs you mentioned are achievable if we try; we will convey your proposals to the officials in Turkey. Unfortunately, we still do not have a cultural attaché in Iran; undoubtedly, the presence of a cultural attaché is very effective for advancing these programs.”

He added: “A few days ago, I met with the Alavi Foundation in Tehran. They emphasized that we can have joint programs about the Prophet of Islam; for example, a two-volume book on elegies of the Ahl al-Bayt has been published in Turkey, collecting all poems composed about the Ahl al-Bayt in Turkey. We can have joint programs in the field of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish elegies. In the year of the Prophet of Mercy (PBUH), we can also have a program in this area in these last months of the year.”

Hijabi Kırlangıç described the Tehran Book Fair as very large and valuable compared to other exhibitions worldwide, saying: “I try to attend this exhibition every year. I personally believe it is very good for us to be the special guest of the Tehran Book Fair in 2026, and I will convey this proposal to the officials in Turkey. I also propose that we host Iran as a special guest at a book fair in Istanbul or Ankara.”

He added: “Many books on Iranian culture and literature are translated and published in Turkey. I also consulted with professors in the field of poetry in Iran, and 10 years ago, I published a book on contemporary Persian poetry, which was very well received in Turkey. We are more interested in promoting classical Persian literature in Turkey; academics want to work more on Saeb Tabrizi and other great figures, but not much work has been done in these areas yet. Although translations of books like Divan-e Hafez, Bustan, Golestan, and Masnavi-ye Ma’navi have been widely published in Turkey, more joint work needs to be done on other great figures of Persian poetry and literature like Saeb Tabrizi. Not much work has been done on classical Turkish literature in Iran either, and we are interested in more work being done in these areas so that classical Turkish and Iranian literature can be recognized.”

The Turkish Ambassador also said: “The proposal for establishing a space for cultural dialogues among university students is also good, and I will convey this proposal to officials in Turkey. We can discuss issues related to family, environment, water, and drought from a cultural perspective.”

Ayub Dehghankar, Scientific, Cultural, and Managerial Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs, also put forward proposals regarding the Tehran Book Fellowship and the expansion of cultural cooperation between Iran and Turkey during the meeting.