Tehran launches Balkan Iran Cultural Institute to bridge Balkans, Middle East
Iranian officials and academics on Thursday unveiled the Balkan Iran Cultural and Media Institute at a ceremony in Tehran’s Milad Tower, calling it a “shared home” for Iran and the Balkans aimed at fostering regional dialogue through culture and media.
Among the attendees were Mohammad Hossein Ranjbaran, senior advisor to Iran’s foreign minister, former ambassador to Yugoslavia Mohammad Javad Asayesh, and Eastern Europe director Alizadeh from the foreign ministry, Mehr News Agency reported.
The founder and CEO of the new institute, Mohsen Sohani, told the audience the project was more than a virtual space. “We are not just launching a cultural-media platform,” he said. “We are building a living bridge—a bridge of words that have echoed for centuries in Balkan books, mosques, churches, and streets.”
Sohani described the Balkans as a region where the “call to prayer and church bells meet,” and emphasized its shared history with Iran.
He called the new institute a step toward telling stories rather than receiving them. “Let’s not be passive recipients. Let’s create the narrative—with our pens, our cameras, and our voices,” he urged.
The institute’s focus will include cultural exchange, public diplomacy, and promoting Persian language and literature across the Balkans.
The event also featured a live theatrical performance by Iranian actor and playwright Ayoub Aghakhani, drawing strong applause from the audience.
“The 20th century knew the Balkans through war,” Sohani said in closing. “Let’s make its 21st century about poetry, peace, and dignity.”