TEHRAN – The ongoing Iran-Russia cultural week has the potential to greatly enhance mutual understanding between the two nations, Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili said in an exclusive interview with Russia 24 TV channel on Thursday.

The Iran-Russia cultural week aims to develop the interaction, communication and mutual understanding between the people of both nations through their rich history, art and shared capabilities, the minister said.

The cultural week could enhance people-to-people interactions and is a great way to strengthen the already existing ties and further explore the potential of this relationship, he added. 

Iran and Russia have a longstanding history of communication and interactions and as we are currently in a historic moment, it is imperative that our nations unite and move forward together, he noted.

“We strongly believe that culture holds immense potential to enhance communication and relations between nations, while also expanding opportunities for promoting interactions in various other fields,” he mentioned.

“We view the cultural week as more than just a platform for showcasing arts and cultural accomplishments,” he said and added: “Rather, it serves as a means to foster a deeper sense of connection and understanding as we pursue our shared historical mission.”

Earlier this week, in a joint press conference with Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova, Esmaeili announced that Iran and Russia agreed to collaborate on producing films jointly.

The delegations of both countries recently concluded official negotiations and came to an agreement to arrange an array of cultural events.

This agreement could bring together the brightest minds and talents in the cinema industry from both nations, Lyubimova said.

The cultural events will include the highly anticipated cultural heritage festival of the Caspian Sea littoral states and the spiritual culture conference scheduled to take place in Tehran, she noted.

She also emphasized the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in all sectors.

For his part, Esmaeili said that Iran and Russia, as two important players in the international arena, are actively engaging in various fields of cooperation.

It is widely expected that the cultural sphere will be a crucial arena to complement their achievements, he added. 

The Islamic Republic and Russia should enhance their cultural ties by expanding their cooperation in cinema, literature, theater, and music, he noted. 

During the meeting with the Russian Minister of Culture, it was agreed to facilitate cultural dialogues between the elites of both countries, he said.

It is important to acknowledge the sincere efforts of the Russian Government towards fostering cultural relations, he stated.

Last week, Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation (FCF) and Russia’s Red Square GC signed a memorandum of understanding.

The MOU was inked by FCF director Mehdi Javadi and Red Square GC CEO Ilya Krivitsky in Moscow.

Red Square GC is actively engaged in various media businesses including TV, filmmaking, TV series, Internet, copyright distribution, advertising and showbiz. 

Red Square’s TV projects are well-known to and favored by the viewers. They include entertainment, music and comedy shows, as well as auteur projects and talk shows on the First Channel, STS, TV Center and Perets TV channel.

Javadi was in Moscow by an invitation from Anton Kobyakov, an advisor to the Russian president and executive secretary of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum’s Organizing Committee.

Based on the MOU, Red Square GC will help to promote films produced at the Farabi Cinema Foundation.

Earlier last month, the foundation also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Cinematographers’ Union to cooperate on joint film projects.

The MOU will also ease the way for organizing film weeks and festivals and conducting joint research projects.

In a meeting with Javadi, the union’s president, Nikita Mikhalkov, called the Oscars a race that is handled by the White House and CIA and suggested the launching of a joint film prize by Russia, Iran, China, India and countries in Latin America and Eurasia.

ABU/