TEHRAN – Iran has appointed a new ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday appointed Ahmad Pakatchi as the new ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN cultural body, Mehr reported.

Rouhani also appreciated the efforts made by the former Iranian ambassador to UNESCO Ahmad Jalali in a separate letter, the news agency said.

Pakatchi is a graduate of Tehran University with a degree in history. He is also an associate professor at the Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies and majored in studies of religions and historical linguistics from Al-Farabi University in Almaty.

Iran hosts some of the world’s oldest cultural monuments including bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, gardens, as well as rich natural and rural landscapes, tens of which registered on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM/