Iran’s only bookstore in Kabul resumes activities

TEHRAN,Sept.8(MNA) -- Iran’s only bookstore in Kabul has reopened after the renovation process was completed. The bookstore situated at the Kabul University, is run by Iran’s Al-Hoda International Publications, an official from the publication Saeid Damirchi told the Persian service of MNA on Friday. The bookstore was established in 2003 under a license issued by Afghanistan’s Ministry for Commerce and Industries and was closed to be renovated and redecorated, he added. The bookstore has offered books by several Iranian publications including SAMT Publications, which provides books for university students. “We are negotiating with SAMT to publish books here in Kabul due to the problems we have faced in transportation of books from Iran to Afghanistan,” he added. “Based on the new contract, the bookstore has extended its activity for five more years and has plans to concentrate on the publication of works by Afghan authors as well,” he reminded. In addition, Al-Hoda can purchase the copyrights and publish academic books in Afghanistan to avoid infringement of copyrights, he said. Iranian publishers are providing about 98 percent of the books in Afghanistan. However, before the bookstore was established in the country, second-hand Iranian books were mostly found in markets around the country.