The role and position of Persian language and literature in the cultural diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards Afghanistan and Tajikistan (2005-2021)

One of the key tools of cultural diplomacy is language and literature. Therefore, this research aims to examine the role and significance of Persian language and literature in the development of cultural diplomacy among three Farsi-speaking countries of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan between 2005-2021. The research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of Iran's efforts in designing Farsi educational content for schools and universities in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, as well as the of cross-border media in various formats, such as written, visual, audio, multimedia, virtual platforms, with a particular emphasis on Persian language promotion for the people of these two countries. This is a descriptive research that relies on library scanning, internet searches, virtual document sources, and governmental agencies reports. Analysis of the available documents reveals that the IR Iran has undertaken various in the development of textbooks for schools in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. However, in the field of higher education, the activities have primarily involved the provision of printed books from Iran in these countries. In the media sector, Iran has achieved favorable outcomes in establishing radio networks and news websites, but dedicated television channels for the people of Afghanistan and Tajikistan have not been successfully implemented. Taking into account the cultural commonalities, such as a shared language and literature, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the potential to foster development and strengthen relations among the three Farsi-speaking through the deepening of cultural diplomacy efforts.