TEHRAN – Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili met with the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ozodbek Nazarbekov on Friday, discussing ways to expand cultural ties. 

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit, which took place in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, it was agreed to hold the Cultural Days of Iran and Uzbekistan in both countries in 2024. 

Referring to the discussion with the Uzbekistani side regarding the announcement of sister cities between different cities of Iran and Uzbekistan, Esmaeili emphasized the strengthening of this matter during the session. 

The proposal to hold joint cultural programs between the cities of Samarkand and Isfahan, as well as Bukhara and Hamedan, was also raised in the meeting.

Regarding the cooperation between the Avicenna Foundation and relevant institutions in Uzbekistan, Esmaeili stated that Avicenna is a great heritage of Iranian-Islamic civilization, born in Bukhara and buried in Hamedan. In this regard, the continuation of joint cooperation between the Avicenna Foundation and Uzbekistan institutions was discussed in the session.

Iranian culture minister also invited Nazarbekov to visit Tehran. 

Esmaeili also mentioned the successful Iranian Film Days in Uzbekistan, which received a positive response from the audience and concluded a few days ago in Uzbekistan.

He added that the Goharshad International Award and cooperation in this field were among the other important topics of this meeting, which received great enthusiasm.

Back in September, on the sidelines of the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, which was held in Doha, Qatar, two ministers met and discussed expansions of bilateral cultural cooperation. 

SAB/