TEHRAN -- An Iran-Afghanistan joint book fair was inaugurated in Kabul on Sunday in the presence of Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini and Afghanistan Minister of Information and Culture, Sayed Makhdoum Raheen.

Minister Hosseini arrived in Kabul on Sunday to attend the meeting of culture ministers of ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) member states.
Iran and Afghanistan are two countries which have long enjoyed good collaboration, said Sayed Makhdoum Raheen at the opening ceremony of the fair.
Makhdoum Raheen also expressed his regret that a great number of books have been burned and ruined during the perennial wars in Afghanistan.
Hosseini also proposed to put more efforts to keep the Persian language alive in the Persian-speaking countries of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
A collection of 650 books on political, social, cultural and economic issues are on display for one week.
Afghanistan joined the ECO in 1993 and this is the first ECO meeting being held in Afghanistan.
Expansion of cultural relations and reinforcement of cultural cooperation among the member states are to be discussed at the meeting.