February 28, The Iran Project � Afghanistan Acting Minister of Information and Culture has announced that Iran and Afghanistan will sign agreement to set up cultural centers in the two countries.

Speaking to a reporter on Tuesday, acting minister of information and culture,�Kamal Sadat said Tehran and Kabul have taken the initial steps to establish the cultural centers.

It has been predicted that the two countries� cultural centers would be launched in the cities of Mashhad and Herat, he added.

To spread the culture of reading and increase its per capita in the country, Afghanistan Ministry of Information and Culture, with the cooperation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs will sign cultural agreements with different countries, Sadat stressed.

Having a common language and shared cultural and literary figures, especially well-known poets, Iran and Afghanistan have extensive cultural relations.

Every year, Iran and Afghanistan hold joint book fairs and music festivals on different occasions and the people of the two countries widely welcome the events.

Last year,�UNESCO Representative to Afghanistan Nasir Ahmad Yavar also�called for expanding cultural relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan.

Referring to Tehran-Kabul various cultural commonalities, he said�the two countries should endeavor to broaden their relations and cooperation to�prevent foreign cultural inroad.