New opportunities for development of Iranian studies at YSU

ArmInfo. Representatives of the Qom University of Religions and Denominations (IRI) visited the  Department of Iranian Studies of the Faculty of Oriental Studies of YSU and met with the faculty, discussing the prospects and further plans for cooperation between the two universities.

As reported by the press service of the Armenian Embassy in Iran, the  delegation, headed by President of the University of Religions and  Denominations, Dr. Seyyed Abolhasan Navvab, was accompanied by the  head of the cultural center of the Iranian Embassy in Armenia  Mohammad Asadi Movahedi.  The meeting focused on the development of  partnerships between the two institutions and the discussion of new  programs.

Head of the Department of Iranian Studies at the Faculty of Oriental  Studies at Yerevan State University, Professor Vardan Voskanyan noted  that Yerevan State University cooperates with several major Iranian  universities. "The Qom University of Religions and Denominations  stands out in that it pays special attention to theology, religious  studies, and Islam in the Middle East is of great importance both in  terms of academic research and in the operational sector as an  important factor in politics. In this regard, the broad opportunities  for studying Islam in our country and cooperation with this  university are also extremely important for us," Voskanyan added. The  practical stage of cooperation between the two universities is  planned to begin at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year. A  lecturer from the Qom University will arrive at Yerevan State  University to present Manichaeism, one of the important religions of  pre-Islamic Iran. "This is especially important, since it is of great  importance in the field of Iranian studies, and there are almost no  specialists studying Manichaeism in Armenia. Professors from Armenia  will also visit  to the University to give lectures on the apostolic  direction of Christianity," the statement said.  During the meeting,  an agreement was also reached on providing professional knowledge on  the state religion of the Iranian Republic at YSU, on improving the  quality of research in this area.

The parties discussed the program of the summer school with the  participation of students and teachers of YSU and the University of  Religions and Denominations of Qom.

The Memorandum of Understanding between YSU and the University of  Religions and Denominations of Qom was signed in 2022.