Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi and a number of his colleagues accompanied the Leader during the visit, which lasted for an hour and a half.

He had brief chats with representatives of publishers, who also talked about their concerns for the business.

They also briefed the Leader about their latest offerings.

In a brief speech made after the visit, Ayatollah Khamenei called reading an absolute necessity especially for the youth and expressed his hope that reading could find its due position in society.

The 31st Tehran International Book Fair, which opened on May 1, comes to an end on Saturday.

Source: Tehran Times