Mr. Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi, Deputy Director of the National Library and Archives of Iran, recently visited the Kazak Center of Rare Books and Manuscripts in Astana. During the visit, organized by the Iranian Cultural Counselor in Astana, Mr. Mousavi met with Mr. Asilkhan Saduov, Director of the Center, and exchanged views with him on a wide range of issues, including the on-going activities and programs of both institutions. As noted by Mr. Saduov during the meeting, the Center had been opened in 2017, and had managed to assemble a collection of more than seven thousand books. The Iranian official, on his part, drew on the historical and long-standing cultural commonalities between the two countries, and expressed the interest and willingness of the Iranian National Library to expand and strengthen liaison and cooperation between the two sides. 
The expected upcoming visit of Mr. Saduov to Iran, including for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Organization of Libraries, Museums and Documents Center of Āstān-e Qods-e Razavi [The Foundation in charge of the administration of institutions belonging to Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Khorassan].
