The opening ceremony of the cultural week program of University of Basrah and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) along with visiting the book exhibition and paintings by professors of the two universities was held on Tuesday, December 13, 2023. In this ceremony Dr. Ahad Zabett, President of FUM, Dr. Saad Shahin, the president of the University of Basrah, and Dr. Shabani, the vice president of the university. Dr. Varidi, the administrative and financial vice-president, Dr. Ghafari, the cultural, social, and student vice-president, Dr. Ehsan Ghabool, Director of International Academic and Scientific Relations and International Student Affairs, and a group of professors and students from two universities were present.

At the beginning of the ceremony, while welcoming and thanking the Iraq University for its hospitality during the short visit of the University President's Board to Iraq, Dr. Zabett said: "Despite the shortness of the visit, serious cooperation and participation was formed among the officials of the two universities. He further mentioned: I am very optimistic about these cooperations due to the cultural commonalities, and friendly and neighborly relations.

The President of FUM ended his speech by wishing the guests a pleasant journey and acceptance of the pilgrimage.

Dr. Saad Shahin, the president of University of Basrah, expressed his satisfaction with the implementation of the cultural week at FUM: "Thanks to the presence of the innocent imams, we have the honor of hosting delegations from various universities, but the signing of the memorandum with FUM and the realization of the plans with the implementation of the cultural week is very promising." He added that even in the era of Corona and despite the restrictions, electronic seminars were still held with the professors of FUM and the communication remained.

The president of University of Basrah further announced the opening of the Persian language teaching center in University of Basrah. He also announced that during this trip, the Arabic language training center will be opened in FUM.

Dr. Saad Shahin, regarding the holding of a large number of ceremonies outside of Iraq, stated: the cruel sanctions against Iran and Iraq and the creation of a common sense between them emphasize the need for cooperation more than ever. Also, during this trip, we are looking to use the experiences of FUM so that we can promote University of Basrah as well.

In the end, he expressed hope for the continuation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) programs despite the changes in people and wished for peace, security, and prosperity for the people of both countries.

In the continuation of the ceremony, Abdul Karim Al-Basri, Consulate General of Iraq in Iran, expressed his happiness at the presence of the delegation from Basra in Iran and asked the officials of FUM to open the doors of the university to the people of Basra.

He also informed about the existence of Imam Reza's province in this region and pointed out: According to the experience of different people, Mashhad creates a special feeling of peace in people. He added that the delegation that came to Iran is very capable in all respects and I hope that it will be possible to make the best use of this delegation.

At the end of his speech, Abdul Karim Al-Basri, referring to public diplomacy, which is the diplomacy of the 20th century, said: Even if there are no governmental and political relations between Iran and Iraq, the depth and extent of the relations between the people of Iran and Iraq should not be harmed, and it is up to us to establish the foundations for scientific and academic communication.

Dr. Ghafari, the cultural, social, and student vice-chancellor of FUM considered the holding of the first cultural week a matter of honor and pointed out that the holding of the cultural week was held by holding different meetings between the officials of the two countries. The goal that is in the mind of both universities is the promotion of Islamic culture in the East, which I hope we can achieve through cooperation. He stated: the existence of geographical distance and linguistic and geographical differences does not destroy the heart connection between the two countries.

In the continuation of the ceremony, the organizers of FUM and University of Basrah were appreciated and thanked, and officials of both universities visited the exhibition of books and paintings by professors.

It should be noted that following the signing of the MoU between the two universities and planning for scientific, cultural, and sports cooperation, the opening of the first cultural week was held at FUM. The cultural week started on December 12 and continues until December 15, and the exhibition of books and paintings by professors of two universities is also held at FUM.