Iranian diplomats and Astrakhan schoolchildren communicated without an interpreter

On the eve of the spring holiday of Nowruz, the Vice-Consul of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Astrakhan, Behrouz Mokhtari, visited the Astrakhan Linguistic Gymnasium at the invitation of the leadership of the educational institution.

Welcoming the guests, the director of the gymnasium Valery Shmelev thanked the Iranian diplomat for the visit and noted that the prestigious educational institution in the region tries to preserve the traditions of celebrating Nowruz.

"It is a great honor for us that the Consulate General supports the gymnasium and takes part in our common holiday," he said.

The Iranian diplomats, teachers and students of the gymnasium were greeted by Ilya Toropitsyn, Deputy Head of the Foreign Affairs Agency of Astrakhan Region.

During the meeting, students of the gymnasium studying Persian read poems and stories about the holiday of Nowruz in Farsi, presented excerpts from the biographies of Persian poets and scientists Omar Khayyam, Ibn Sina, Saadi, shared stories about the culture and traditions of Iran. The invited graduates of the gymnasium, who are currently studying at Astrakhan State University, told the guests about their impressions of the trip to Tehran in 2016.

Behrouz Mokhtari highly appreciated the training of high school students. According to him, over the past four years since the last meeting, the level of proficiency in Farsi has increased significantly. In particular, the diplomat noted the melody and excellent pronunciation of the narrators. Addressing the students, the Vice-Consul of the Consulate General of Iran wished them success and good luck in learning the Persian language.

It should be noted that the training of schoolchildren and the Iranian diplomat was conducted without an interpreter. Both sides understood each other perfectly.

Astrakhan Linguistic Gymnasium is an institution of secondary general education, where the Persian language is studied as part of the main educational program. The teaching of Farsi began here more than 15 years ago. Many graduates choose to continue their education in a variety of specialties related to linguistics and international relations. Currently, 25 students study Persian in the gymnasium.