Persian Journal, Iran
Aug 3 2004

Iran, Armenia Keen to Expand Cultural Ties

A visiting high-ranking Armenian delegation reached an agreement on
urban architecture and cultural interaction with officials from
Tehran Municipality Art and Culture Department here on Monday.

During this meeting, Head of Tehran Municipality Art and Culture
Department Esfandiar Rahim Mosha’ie named Iranian Armenians “good
citizens” and said that they had a crucial role in pivotal occasions
such as the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Sacred Defense and
in cultural, political and social affairs, IRNA reported.

Referring to the history of Tehran Municipality in seeking expertise
of other countries in optimizing Tehran architecture, Mosha’ie noted
that he expects close cooperation with Armenian architects along with
art and cultural interaction in the future. For his part, Armenian
Deputy Minister of Culture Gagik Gurjian mentioned the history of
Iran-Armenia cultural and artistic cooperation and appreciated Iran’s
special interest in such collaboration.

Regarding the monument of Zorzor church in West Azarbaijan province
which was previously flooded by water “The ancient church was
restored at a higher altitude through joint efforts of Iranian and
Armenian experts and engineers,” he said, adding that the church is
currently being examined by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “In addition to
architectural cooperation between the two countries, Iran and Armenia
can also cooperate in other fields such as introducing their
religious and spiritual ceremonies,” he concluded.