Jakarta keen to broaden ties with Tehran

Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture Mohammad Nuh said on Friday that deeply rooted cultural affinity and commonality between Iran and Indonesia prepares grounds for upholding relations and cooperation between the two countries. He made the remarks in a special ceremony marking Iran’s cultural week in Jakarta in presence of Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini. Holding Iran’s cultural week indicates cultural commonalties between the two countries, he said. In cultural diplomacy, all parties should look forward to commonalties and try to change differences to opportunities, he said. The Indonesian minister welcomed the motto of the cultural event 'Iran and Indonesia bridging the gap between east and west parts of the Muslim World” and called for expansion of all out relations between the two countries. Addressing the audience in his key note speech, the Iranian minister of culture and Islamic guidance said Indonesia with the highest Muslim population enjoy vast potentials and Iran attaches importance to promotion of cultural relations and cooperation with the country. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Indonesia have close cooperation at international arenas and organizations, Hosseini said. Enemies of Muslims seek to sow seeds of discords among them and in order to thwart their plot, cultural affinities among Muslims should be further consolidated, Hosseini said. The Iranian minister voiced Iran’s readiness to host Indonesian cultural week in Iran. Iran’s cultural week opened in Jakarta on Wednesday.