The Government of India has decided to include Farsi among the so-called classical languages of the country. This was announced by the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at a press conference in Tehran along with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

The decision reflects India’s endeavour to spread knowledge and understanding of the rich Farsi heritage through its education system. Both Ministers also emphasised the strength of cultural ties that unite the two countries. This is reported by
Tehran Times.

It should be noted that ancient languages with an important, original and distinctive literary heritage are recognised as classical languages. In India, six languages are officially recognised as such: Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Oriya.

Minister Jaishankar noted that Iran and India have deep relations in different fields:

“Our strong people-to-people connections have always been one of our greatest assets. Iran and India share deep cultural, literary, and linguistic ties, which provide a strong foundation for increasing exchanges of tourists, students, artists, athletes, and scholars.”

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Indian Foreign Minister

Jaishankar also emphasised the potential for increased cooperation in different fields and stressed the importance of strengthening ties between cultural and educational institutions.

Farsi is an important language in the modern world and contributes to literature, art, science and diplomacy. It is the official language of Iran and is widely used in government, media, education and literature.

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