Iran and Indonesia sign cooperation MOU

Simultaneous with Iranian Ambassador to Jakarta’s visit of Bengkulu Province of Indonesia, Iran and Bengkulu University signed a scientific cooperation memorandum of understanding. According to the IRNA reporter in Jakarta, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ambassador to Indonesia Mahmoud Farazandeh and the IRI Cultural Attaché Mohammad-Ali Rabbani had travelled to Bengkulu province to participate at mourning ceremonies of Moharram lunar month, and particularly to watch the ‘Taziyeh’ religious-traditional play’s performance there. According to the report, the scientific and training MOU was signed between the Islamic University of Bengkulu and the IRI Cultural Attaché by the president of that university Serajeddin and Ambassador Farazandeh. In the memorandum the two sides have agreed to have joint cooperation in establishment of a joint cooperation room, joint sponsoring of scientific and cultural seminars, as well as exchange of professors and students. The Islamic University of Bengkulu in Indonesia’s Bengkulu Province, also known as Southern Sumatra Province, in Sumatra Island, has eight thousand students majoring in Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic propagation ‘Tabilq’, Qur’anic studies and interpretation, and Arabic language and Islamic studies. The state university is one of the major ones in this province. The chairman of Iran’s Majlis cultural commission, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, too, said in Tehran Sunday that Indonesia as the most populous Islamic country and Iran as an important country in the Middle East and the world of Islam must turn into a model for other Islamic nations. According to Majlis news agency, in a meeting with chairman of the religious and social commission of the Indonesian Parliament, Abdol-ghadir Karding, and Haddad Adel touched upon religious and cultural commonalities in Iran and Indonesia and said that Iran’s Majlis welcomes promotion of relations in political, cultural and economic domains. The Iranian MP also emphasized the need for unity of Islamic states in the face of the global arrogance and said that Iran and Indonesia must further exchange views on regional and global issues. The Indonesian MP for his part called for boosting of parliamentary, cultural and economic cooperation between Indonesia and the Islamic Republic of Iran terming it as a priority of Indonesia’s foreign policy.