IRNA Chief Urges Expansion Of Co-op Between Iran-Pakistan

Tehran, April 29, IRNA – Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency Ali Akbar Javanfekr said on Saturday that expansion of cultural and media cooperation will benefit all countries of the region including the Islamic states. Javanfekr made the remarks in a meeting with Pakistani Ambassador to Tehran Khalid Aziz Babar on Saturday. Javanfekr, who is also presidential advisor for press affairs, termed the existing ties between Iran and Pakistan as very friendly and promising. Referring to the launching of Urdu news at IRNA website, he said millions of people in Pakistan and India speak Urdu and such a measure would be effective in promoting mutual understanding among Muslims in the region. He expressed the hope that in the near future, Iran Daily newspaper in Urdu language would hit the newsstands. Expansion of cultural cooperation between the two countries would prepare the grounds for promotion of cooperation in other fields, Javanfekr said. The Pakistani ambassador, for his part, lauded the efforts made by IRNA in launching an Urdu news line and said the Pakistani people regard the Islamic Republic of Iran as their second home and really feel themselves at home. Lunching of an Urdu news website is regarded as a significant move towards broadening cultural affinity between the two nations and this provide Pakistani nationals access to news on regional developments and on issues relating to Iran and Pakistan, he said. About 60 to 65 percent of words in Urdu and Persian are the same, he said adding that there are some grammatical differences between the two languages. He also called for exchange of media delegations between the two countries which was welcomed by the IRNA chief./end