Persian language plays significant role in Iran’s public diplomacy
The head of the Sa’di Foundation, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, emphasized the growing significance of public diplomacy in foreign ministries worldwide, and highlighted the crucial role of language education and expansion in this form of diplomacy.
Speaking at a gathering of heads of political representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran abroad, Haddad-Adel stressed that countries with a broader dissemination of their language wield greater influence on the international stage, forging a meaningful correlation between power and influence that transcends geographical boundaries, according to ILNA.
He pointed out the historical significance of the Persian language, noting that in the past, Iran’s vast reach allowed Persian to serve as a cultural and literary language for over 800 years, spanning from present-day India and Pakistan to the Ottoman territories, China, and the African Continent.
Haddad-Adel highlighted the Sa’di Foundation’s responsibility in teaching and promoting the Persian language worldwide.
He underlined the importance of diplomats being proficient in multiple languages and cited examples, such as Russia, which has been teaching Persian for over two centuries as a written tradition within its diplomatic system.
He further mentioned that countries like Japan, China, Korea, and others prioritize sending diplomats fluent in Persian to Iran and maintain a substantial number of Persian-speaking diplomats and employees in their embassies.
The head of the Sa’di Foundation called for ambassadors in their respective countries to be aware of numerous Persian language centers and associations and lend them support.
He also discussed the foundation’s budget in comparison to other countries’ allocations for the expansion of their national languages. Initially, the foundation was able to allocate approximately one million dollars in foreign currency for teaching Persian outside of Iran. However, in recent years, this amount has decreased to around 150,000 dollars. Despite financial challenges, the foundation continues to provide crucial infrastructure for Persian language education to non-Persian speakers, including books, software, websites, and the training of Persian language instructors.