Iranian, Kazakh culture ministers meet in Astana

TEHRAN, May 22 (MNA) -- Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini met Kazakh Minister of Culture, Information and Public Accord Mukhtar Kul-Mukhamed in Astana on Friday.

Kul-Mukhamed said that Persian language is highly esteemed by Kazakhs.

Most Kazakh poets were followers of the Persian literati and were proud of this, he added.

Renowned Kazakh poet Abay Qunanbayuli said that he was a follower of Hafez and he was proud of it, he asserted.

Until recent years, the Persian language was deemed as the language of elites in Kazakhstan and most of them wrote their elegant literary works in Persian, he said.

Stories of Shahnameh are known by most Kazakh people and most of Shahnameh’s characters bear a resemblance to Kazakh heroes, he added.

During the meeting, Hosseini said that Iran’s northern Golestan Province is ready to hold a Kazakh cultural week in the near future.

He said that Iran’s capacity in different kinds of art including fine arts, theater, cinema and book publishing provides a chance for boosting cultural exchanges.

They also decided to sign a cultural MOU during the upcoming journey of Kazakh Minister of Culture to Iran.