Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Tehran on Sunday, June 9, hosted the International Commemoration Conference on 550 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Iran and Poland.
Iran and Poland are two countries whose relations are not only diplomatic relations but also deep historical ties bind them together.
According to reports, in 1474, Venetian merchant Ambrogio Contarini, delivered a letter to the Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon from Shah Uzun Hasan and it was the beginning of the relationship between the two countries.
The following topics were on the agenda of the conference:
_ Background and history of diplomatic relations between Iran and Poland,
_ IranIian studies and its prospects in Polish scientific centers and vice versa,
_ Studying the bibliography and biographies of Polish Iranologists,
_ Review of literary translation from Persian to Polish and back translation,
_ Studying Persian manuscripts and historical documents in the archival centers of Poland and Iran,
_ Historical and cultural relations between Poland and Iran: political, intellectual, artistic, visual, and literary encounters.
As one of the speakers at this conference, Maciej Fałkowski, Poland's ambassador in Tehran described an era in the history of relations between Iran and Poland in the political and cultural fields.
He stated that the political relations between these two countries were very strong in the beginning during the 15th, and 16th centuries and a short period in the 20th century, noting that at that time, both countries were powerful in the international system and could guarantee the political order in their regions, but this power was challenged by their neighbors.
He mentioned the commercial and cultural relations between Iran and Poland in the 16th century, saying that these relations were established when both countries were regionally powerful and had reached stability.
Cultural fascination sparked academic interest which led to the establishment of schools and research centers.
Poland's ambassador pointed out the relationship between Iran and Poland until the 19th century, saying that interest in the history, language, and culture of Iran flourished in Europe at this time, and Polish professors and researchers were also part of these enthusiasts.
Therefore, new research centers were established in cooperation with Lenin and Kraków universities, he said.
He said that Polish artists were widely inspired by Iranian culture, adding that this interest in Iranian studies took root in Poland, and many academic researches, including dictionaries, translations of Persian poetry, and language studies, were born.
Maciej Fałkowski pointed to the historical legacy of Iran-Poland relations, saying that this legacy has remained until today and has turned the two countries into unique partners.
He noted that this historical legacy will never be forgotten in two cases; One was in the 18th century when the war-torn Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania collapsed under the pressure of its neighbors and the other goes back to World War II when about 116,000 Polish refugees were released from the forced labor camps of the Soviet Union and were accepted by Iran.
At the end of his speech, the Ambassador of Poland to Iran pointed out the importance of history, saying that history proves that the relations between Iran and Poland have been a source of strength and a competitive advantage for both countries.
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