Iran Press/Iran News: "If diplomacy has been monopolized by governments in the past, today a wide range of actors have entered the diplomatic arena and are using various tools in this regard," Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said in the 4th Edition of Tehran Golden Adobe Global Award for top urban projects in commemoration of World Cities Day is taking place in Tehran.
"Traditional and classical diplomacy alone cannot cope with the challenges of modern societies," the foreign ministry spokesman added according to Iran Press.
"Public opinion is undoubtedly the most important player in the community. In fact, today, unlike a century ago when public opinion did not have an impact on governments' policies, public opinion plays a very important role in politics and society," he underlined.
"One of the most well-known components of public communication is sister cities, and today we have more than 3,500 sister cities between the world's cities to prepare an appropriate base for urban diplomacy," Seyyed Abbas Mousavi added.
"There are also 140 cases of twin towns between Tehran and other cities, which means that Iran is committed to public diplomacy and urbanism. It also is consistent with the essence and nature of the Islamic Revolution," the diplomat said.
Noting that Tehran's Golden Adobe Global Award could play a valuable role in peace-building and friendship, the foreign ministry spokesman said: "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, like many other developed countries, pays special attention to various diplomacy, especially public, cultural and urban diplomacy, and that's why we have created desks for these issues in order to use this capacity for the benefit of the public."
101/201
Read More:
New sanctions against Iran, sign of US weakness: Mousavi
