Ministry of Culture and Tourism protests false reports disseminated by “Fars” News Agency and “Tehran Times”

The friendly and mutually respectful traditions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan are being developed by both sides at the level of state policy. The current situation, of course, promotes expansion of cultural cooperation. Not casually that the culture days of Azerbaijan successfully passed in Iran last year. And as continuation of interstate cultural programs on October 3 the culture days of Iran have started in Azerbaijan.

During the successful days of interesting exhibitions, movie screenings, literary and scientific meetings, unfortunately, the Iranian “Fars” News Agency and “Tehran Times” daily attempted to distort the true facts known to the world from literature and cultural history while covering the culture days. Though “Tehran Times” wrote that Nizami Ganjavi lived and worked, died, as well as his mausoleum is in Azerbaijan’s ancient city Ganja, it presented the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker as an Iranian. The Fars News Agency also made the same mistake.

To this end, Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism expressed regret and resolutely protested the false information released by Fars News Agency and “Tehran Times” daily and on the basis of undeniable proofs of history, literary sources, world community, stated that Nizami Ganjavi was not an Iranian but an Azerbaijani poet, was born and lived in Azerbaijan`s ancient Ganja city and worked there: “During the latest 9 centuries, the name of Nizami Ganjavi, his immortal heritage belonged and belongs to Azerbaijan, and that the Azerbaijani people gave the great poet to the world civilization.

We believe that the Fars News Agency and “Tehran Times” don`t express the position of Iranian society and the irresponsible attitude of any news organization to the press laws will not cast shadow on future development of Iran-Azerbaijan cultural relations”, the statement says .


/AzerTAc/