DUSHANBE, April 1, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Francis Richard, director of the French Institute for Central Asian Studies (IFEAC) is arriving in Tajikistan today for a two-week visit.

During his stay in Tajikistan, the IFEAC director is scheduled to hold talks with academician Mamadsho Ilolov, President of Tajikistan’s Academy of Sciences, meet with senior representatives of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography as well as visit a number of archeological and cultural relics in the country, representative of IFEAC’s branch in Tajikistan said, noting that French researcher is visiting Tajikistan in the framework of the agreement between Tajikistan and France on cultural, educational and scientific cooperation.

Francis Richard who is specialist in Persian manuscripts will also meet with researchers at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Tajik Academy of Sciences.

It is the second visit of the French orientalist to Tajikistan.  In October 2010, Francis Richard participated in an international conference titled “Historical Ties of Poetry and Music of Persian-speaking Peoples” in Dushanbe.

Established in 1992, French Institute for Central Asian Studies now has its branches in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.  In Tajikistan, IFEAC’s branch functions at the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography.