IFP- Italy will be the special guest of the 30th Tehran International Book Fair which is scheduled to be held from May 3 to 13 and will be attended by 136 foreign publishers.

A total of 136 foreign publishers will take part in the 30th Tehran International Book Fair which is slated to be held in the Iranian capital during May 3-13, with Italy participating as the special guest.

Addressing a press conference, Davoud Mousaei, the director of the foreign publishers� committee of the 30th Tehran International Book Fair, said so far, 136 foreign (46 Latin and 90 Arabic) publishers have formally registered to take part in the expo

According to a report by IFP, the number of foreign publishers due to take part in the upcoming edition of the expo has witnessed an increase compared to that of those who participated in the previous one, he added.

Mousaei said a total of 126,000 foreign books will be showcased at the exhibition, of which 93,000 are in Latin languages and 33,000 in Arabic.

The foreign publishers are from the US, the UK, France, the Netherlands, China, South Korea, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan and Jordan, he added.

�We have decided to help Arab publishers have a more significant presence in the upcoming edition of the fair by allowing them to hold any kind of conferences they desire on the sidelines of the expo within a two-day period.�

Commenting on the international status of the Tehran International Book Fair at the same conference, Amir-Masoud Shahramnia, a member of the Board of Directors of the Iran Cultural Fairs Institute, stressed that foreign publishers have a great thirst for taking part in the show.

He said Italy will participate in the upcoming event as the special guest, adding Afghanistan, Oman and Russia were the special guests of the 27th, 28th,and 29th editions of the annual fair, respectively.

Shahramnia noted that, �[In the 27th edition] Iran covered all the costs of Afghanistan�s participation in the book show.However, Italy will meet all the expenses of its participation in the event itself. It has even sought Iranian artists� assistance to construct and design its pavilions.�

The book fair will be held at the International Fairground of Shahr-e Aftab (Sun City) located south of Tehran.