Tehran-Islamabad cultural ties need to broaden: minister

The Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili made the remarks in a meeting with the Ambassador of Pakistan to Tehran Rahim Qureshi on Wednesday in the Iranian capital.

In the meeting, the Iranian culture minister pointed to the cultural similarities between Iran and Pakistan and said that many Iranian prominent figures in the field of culture spent periods of their lives in neighboring Pakistan.  

Esmaeili said that given the historical and civilizational background and cultural interest that exists between the two countries, it is necessary to expand cultural relations in various fields of art such as cinema, music, etc.

"One of the definite policies of the 13th government in the Islamic Republic of Iran is to pay special attention to the expansion of cultural activities between Iran and neighboring countries," he added.

He also stressed the need for a joint meeting of the ministers of culture of the two countries with the aim of concluding a memorandum on understanding on joint cultural and artistic programs.

"Cultural weeks and the creation of new sisterhood agreement can be concluded and expanded between the major cities of the two countries," the Iranian culture minister said to conclude his remarks.

In the meeting, the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran said, that Iran and Pakistan have many cultural and civilizational similarities, adding that the Persian language was spoken for 800 years in South Asia

He also noted that the architecture and language of the two nations are close to each other.

Rahim Qureshi further emphasized cinematic, cultural and artistic cooperation between the two countries.

He further noted that joint films and movies can be made starring Iranian and Pakistani film stars.

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