Iran opened the first headquarters of the Union of Muslim World Publishers in Europe in Athens, on the 25th of October 2012. The Africa headquarters will be launched sometime in 2013.
According to the public relations office of the Union of Muslim World Publishers, a ceremony was held in the presence of Ali Zarei Najafdari, secretary general of the union, Mohammad Hussein Mozafari, Iran’s cultural attaché in Greece, and Mohammad Reza Pakravan, Iran’s cultural contact with Greece on October 2012.
In his address, Najafdari asserted that the union will run representative headquarters in the five continents of the world after the agreements reached in the general assembly of the union.
As he said, given its long-time historical background in civilization, Greece has been chosen by the union to host its headquarters in Europe in a bid to cement cultural relations with the thinkers, publishers and elites in various fields in the region.
He went on to say that new headquarters will open in various other regions in the world to expand the union’s expansion.
The Union of Muslim World Publishers was established following the second International Conference of the Islamic World Publishers in the World.
More specifically, on February 2011 the International World of Islam Publishers' Summit convened with the presence of the presence of Dr Ali Akbar Velayati (supreme leader's advisor in international matters), Dr Ali Zare'ei Najafdori (the summit's secretary general), Ayatollah Taskhiri (secretary general of the world community of religions' proximity) and Mohammad Ali Fathollahi, the Asia deputy of the foreign ministry.