The ECO Cultural Institute hosted the specialized session of "Shared Voice" on June 23, 2026, to commemorate the bilingual poets of the ECO region. In this event, which was attended by a group of prominent professors, researchers, and cultural figures, the civilizational dimensions and the common linguistic heritage of bilingual poets in the ECO region were analyzed.
Mr. Mehrdad Rakhshandeh, Executive Director of the Institute, described bilingual poets as the first cultural ambassadors who created a platform for unity by linking prominent figures such as Jami, Navoi, Fuzuli, and Shahriar. By offering proposals such as creating a comprehensive database and compiling an atlas of bilingual poets in the ECO region, he considered the revival of this heritage a key strategy for strengthening cultural diplomacy.
In the following, Dr. Mohammad Afshar Rahbin, an Afghan poet, translator, and researcher, emphasized in his video message that a complete mastery of the subtleties and nuances of a second language is essential for writing poetry, and described poetry as a transregional phenomenon that serves as a path toward achieving peace and peaceful coexistence.
Dr. Ali Bayat, Head of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Tehran, stating that the link between Persian and Urdu is not limited to lexical influences, explained that this interaction has crystallized in the structure of thought, novel stylistic expressions, and the literary criticism methods of Urdu-speaking poets, and that studying it is key to understanding contemporary cultural identity.
Dr. Nurali Nurzad, a professor at Khujand University, also described in his video speech the historical evolution of bilingual literature with a focus on Persian and Turkic languages in the ECO civilizational region, and considered it a tool for civilizational bonding that began with the works of Saadi, Hafez, and Kamal Khujandi and was consolidated with the tradition of Tazkira writing and Navoi's masnavi composition.
Continuing the program, Dr. Zahid Munir Amer, Head of the Urdu and Pakistan Studies Chair at the University of Tehran, pointed to Iqbal's status, considering his intelligent utilization of classical Persian traditions to express novel philosophical and social themes as the distinguishing point of this bilingual poet, who transcended geographical boundaries with his concepts and turned the Persian language into a tool for expressing transcendent worldviews in the contemporary era.
Dr. Ali Davoodi, a poet and researcher, also stated in his analysis of Shahriar's poetry that he created an independent language by gleaning from the Khorasani style to the returned period, and by inventing a "third language" which is a synthesis of Persian and Turkic, he expanded the boundaries of poetic expression and created a deep bond between two cultures, which is beyond translation and reflects his lived experience in both linguistic worlds.
The session, moderated by Mr. Shahmansour Shahmirza, an expert from the ECO Cultural Institute in Tajikistan, concluded by emphasizing the importance of collecting, preserving, and publishing the works of bilingual poets, supporting comparative research in this field, and expressing appreciation to the speakers.