Your trusted source

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today, on July 11, met with Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, the presidential press service reports. The delegation headed by Ali Jannati is participating in the International Conference “Cultural Policy: Policy for Culture” in Yerevan on July 11-13. The conference is held to mark the 70th anniversary of UNESCO.

Noting that throughout their centuries-old histories the Armenian and Iranian peoples left a most valuable and rich cultural heritage to the world and that the two peoples have much in common, the Armenian president said that culture occupies a special place in that community.

The interlocutors noted with satisfaction that bilateral ties established in the sphere of culture form a solid basis for the development and deepening of Armenian-Iranian interstate relations in political, economic and other fields.

The Armenian president and the Iranian minister shared the opinion there are no restrictions with regard to the development of Armenian-Iranian relations that are at a high level. They stressed the importance of frequent mutual visits for the further strengthening of bilateral links.

“The difficulties are temporary, but our friendship is eternal,” S. Sargsyan said adding that everything possible should be done to strengthen and expand Armenian-Iranian relations for the benefit of the two peoples and their cultures. He underlined the importance of any initiative aimed at raising the level of recognizibility of histories, cultures and traditions of the two countries and peoples.

The cultural relations between Armenia and Iran tend to develop dynamically and embrace almost all the areas of culture such as cinema, theatre, literature, etc., the Armenian president said.

He noted with satisfaction that cooperation as part of the work on cultural heritage preservation has in recent years risen to a qualitatively new level. He expressed his gratitude for the work done to preserve the Armenian cultural and historical heritage in the territory of Iran and for the careful attitude towards that heritage. He assured the Iranian minister that Armenia has a similar attitude to Iran’s historical and cultural heritage.