Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Vali Yarahmadi said the event is not just a competition among Quran reciters and memorizers but a great Quranic congregation in a country that is the flag-bearer of attaching importance to Quranic teachings and a harbinger of unity in the Muslim world.
He referred to the growing number of participants in the contest from non-Muslim countries, especially European states, and said it was an indication of how Islam has spread in the world, Tasnim news agency reported.
Yarahmadi further stressed the high level of Iran's international Quranic event and noted that it is held in the three categories of recitation, memorization and interpretation of the Holy Quran.
Asked about the presence of international Quranic figures in this year's edition of the Quranic contest, he said Master Meytham Tammar from Iraq as well as Master Muhammad Abdul Wahhab Tantawi and Master Muhammad Taha Numani from Egypt will be present as guests of honor.
The 31st edition of the international Quran competition will start in Tehran on May 26.
More than 110 Quran memorizers and reciters from 75 countries participated in the previous edition of the event in 2013.
The contest is annually organized by the Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organization.