Driving the news:
Iran’s 27th intangible heritage, the art of "mirrorwork in architecture", has been inscribed on UNESCO’s list as a global heritage.
The big picture:
In addition to 29 registered tangible and natural heritage sites, Iran has the potential to register countless more. As a living repository of civilization, Iran offers a rich cultural foundation for fostering creative and forward-looking cooperation with Greece.
Why it matters:
Iran is one of the most promising countries in health, maritime, ecotourism, and cultural and spiritual tourism.
With 299 branches of handicrafts and one of the richest collections of historical artifacts in the world, Iran is ready to expand its cooperation with Greece within a long‑term, strategic, and practical framework.
What they're saying:
Meeting with Greece’s Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, Iranian Minister Reza Salehi Amiri emphasized the need to establish a "Joint Action Plan" between the two countries in the fields of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts.
"Iran and Greece, with their exceptional range of tangible and intangible heritage, have the capacity to become strategic partners in cultural and tourism cooperation."
Kefalogianni described Iran and Greece as "guardians of the world’s rich heritage," and called for updating the 1997 memorandum and drafting a new joint program.
She identified the lack of direct flights as the main obstacle to expanding tourism between the two countries.
Salehi Amiri also met with Greece’s Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni. Emphasizing the deep ties between the two ancient civilizations, he expressed Iran’s readiness to expand long‑term cultural cooperation, hold a major exhibition of Iranian artifacts in Athens, and stage a joint symphony titled Persepolis, Acropolis.
He also proposed holding a major exhibition of Iranian museum artifacts at the Byzantine Museum of Athens.
Salehi Amiri invited the Greek Minister of Tourism to attend the Tehran International Tourism and Handicrafts Exhibition in February, as well as the Nowruz Summit in Tehran.
Go deeper:
Iranian Culinary Consortium Honors Leading Culinary Figures
seyed mohammad kazemi - Hossein Vaez
