Iran welcomes proposal to establish joint center for Noruz education

TEHRAN,March 15(MNA) -- Iran has welcomed the establishment of a joint center on Noruz education in Persian-speaking countries as proposed by the chairman of the Committee of Tajik Language and Terminology, Dodihudo Saymiddinov. Iran will be making its best efforts to promote the culture of Noruz (Iranian New Year beginning on March 21) in Persian-speaking countries, Iran’s Ambassador to Tajikistan Ali-Asghar Sherdust said at the conference held on Wednesday in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. A group of Iranian and Tajik literati attended the conference on the International Noruz Festival, which has been held annually in Persian-speaking countries since 2009. The first Noruz festival was held in Tehran on March 27, 2010. Tajikistan will be hosting the festival this year and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to travel to Tajikistan in Noruz. A number of officials, literary figures, poets and cultural figures will accompany the president during the visit. Noruz was registered on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on September 30, 2009.