“The two nations of Iran and Azerbaijan enjoy historical, cultural and religious commonalities. So, we should put more efforts into expanding our ties,” said Hossein Entezami, the Iranian Deputy Culture Minister for Press and Information Affairs.
He made the remarks during a Monday meeting with the Culture and Tourism Minister of Azerbaijan Abulfas Garayev in Baku, according to a Farsi report by IRNA.
Entezami said the Islamic Republic attaches great importance to expansion of tie with Azerbaijan and added his visit to Baku is aimed at exploring ways to expand the two sides’ media cooperation.
“Promotion of cooperation between the two sides’ media and the regular visits of their delegations can lead to the expansion of ties between Iranian and Azerbaijani nations in the fields of tourism and economy,” he noted.
For his part, the Azerbaijani minister referred to his latest visit to Iran, Azerbaijan Cultural Days held recently in Tehran, and Entezami’s visit to Azerbaijan as the main contributors to the expansion of ties between the two sides.
He also expressed his gratitude to Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for its contribution to holding Azerbaijan Cultural Day in Tehran.
“Today, we held a meeting at the Ministry, where we discussed the results of my visit to Tehran and called on the concerned departments to promote bilateral cultural ties,” he said.
He described as constructive his latest visit to Iran and said a wrap-up report on his visit is set to be aired by the state-run TV of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Garayev referred to the current cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan within international organizations to preserve their common cultural heritage, and said the registration of the traditional bread of Lavash by UNESCO as the common cultural heritage of Iran and Azerbaijan is among the fruits of such cooperation.
He also pointed to the will of the two sides’ presidents for strengthening ties over the past years and said Iran and Azerbaijan should put more efforts into expanding their ties.
Entezami arrived in Baku on Monday at the head of an Iranian cultural delegation. He has already held talks with a number of leading media managers in Azerbaijan including AZERTAC.
