TEHRAN -- The 14th Press Exhibition opened on Wednesday at the venue of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA).

A total of 412 periodicals from Iran are taking part and this year’s exhibit is welcoming 24 other countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, and Tajikistan which are participating for the first time.
Iran’s Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, Deputy Culture Minister for Press and Information Affairs Alireza Malekian, and many scholars and cultural figures attended the inauguration.
The opening ceremony began with a speech made by Majlis Speaker Haddad-Adel. He emphasized that Iran’s government and Majlis support periodicals which reveal corruption in the society and which help in the fight against vice.
He noted that dissemination of information is necessary in today’s modern life and that the media is an essential tool in this field.
“Every country needs its media, and a country like Iran which has faced a cultural revolution, needs media more than any other country,” he added.
He continued, “If we would like our people to be active in society, we must also have an active media. People must be aware of what they are doing, and this is brought about only by means of the proper dissemination of information.”
Haddad-Adel also paid tribute to the late Iranian journalists who were killed during the course of carrying out their professional duties.
Culture Minister Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi and Deputy Culture Minister Alireza Malekian also made speeches.
Later they visited the exhibit’s pavilions and conversed with the journalists and visitors.
The exhibit will run until November 15 at the venue which is located on Hejab St., Keshavarz Blvd