Representatives from 22 Countries Attending Asian Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Seminar

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Beginning today, September 11, in Tehran, the Asian Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Seminar is to be attended by representatives from 22 countries of the world, secretary of the seminar said.  Speaking at a news conference here on Saturday, Mohammad Reza Dehshiri said that the seminar would host 46 domestic and international guests including 10 representatives of Asian parliaments as well as 36 speakers and scholars.  “The 36 scholars include 10 Iranian thinkers and 24 prominent figures from other Asian countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Russia, Australia, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Thailand and Turkey,” he added.  “The international seminar, which has been organized by the Culture and Islamic Relations Organization and its Center for Interfaith Dialogue, will be held in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and the secretariat of Asian parliaments on September 11 and 12 in the Foreign Ministry’s Studies Office in Tehran.”  He went on to say that the opening ceremony will begin with the report of the seminar’s secretary followed by speeches by Mohammad Bagher Khoramshad, head of the Culture and Islamic Relations Organization; Seyyed Mohammad Hadinejad Hosseinian, secretary general of Asian Parliaments Assembly; Hojat-ol-Islam Abutorabi, secretary of the Majlis administrative council; deputy chairman of Afghanistan’s parliament; secretary general of the conference on Religions for Peace; as well as the former head of Turkey’s Theology Institute.  “The two-day seminar has been organized in four specialized panels, namely common principles of Asian proximity, social interactions among Asian nations, internationalization, and Asian civilization proximity,” Mr. Dehshiri further noted.  “The seminar has been organized based on the declaration approved in the forum of Asian Parliaments Assembly held November 2010 in Damascus,” he further remarked, adding that the seminar’s final declaration would be investigated by the representatives of the Asian parliaments, then sent to the public assembly forum to be held in Damascus in the coming November, and presented to the public once approved.  Referring to the concurrency of the seminar with the 10th anniversary of September 11 Event, he said: “Holding the seminar is the 4th innovative plan to dispel the tension created after the event among followers of different religious sects and highlight the role of religions in promoting peace and friendship in the world.”  “The other three plans already administered were Iran’s plan for the dialogue among civilizations, Turkey and Spain’s plan for the solidarity among civilizations, as well as the plan for the proximity of cultures proposed by Iran, UNESCO and Kazakhstan.”  Mr. Dehshiri also noted that the closing ceremony of the seminar would be held with the presence of domestic and international figures, adding that the speakers of the closing ceremony include Gholam Ali Haddad Adel as the guest of honor, as well as three participants who will give their comments on the seminar’s way of organization and achievements.  The news conference of the Asian Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Seminar was held September 10 in the Culture and Islamic Relations Organization with the presence of Mohammad Reza Dehshiri, Hojat-ol-Islam Mohammad Hossein Mozafari, head of the organization’s Interfaith Dialogue Center, as well as Abdul-Majid Mirdamadi, the scientific secretary of the seminar./129