25th Tehran book fair hosts Turkey

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Tuesday that Turkey would participate in the 25th Tehran Book Fair, which will open its doors on Wednesday. In a written statement, the ministry said the fair would take place between May 2 and 12 with the participation of 2,451 publishers and more than 200 professionals. Some 1,500 works, reflecting Turkey’s artistic and literary richness, will be promoted at the Tehran fair. The 25th Tehran Book Fair will also see the introduction of Turkish Culture Ministry’s TEDA program to foreign authors, publishing houses and translators, which aims to increase the reach of Turkish literature and culture. The program was launched in 2005 and has so far achieved great success in its mission. It has also raised funds to provide financial support to Iranian publishers for the publishing of 56 works up to now. According to ISNA news agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said yesterday that his country hopes talks to be held with world powers in Baghdad May 23 over its disputed nuclear program will result in "success." Speaking in a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart, Salehi said that the Istanbul talks were a success and that he hoped the Baghdad meeting also would also be successful, adding that if they took one step forward in Istanbul, with God’s help, they would take several steps ahead in Baghdad.