Iran calls for oriental culture revival, tourism alliance at SCO summit
Tourism should be used to rebuild global trust and bridge civilizations, not just boost economies, Hojatollah Ayoubi, senior advisor to Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts told a gathering of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) tourism ministers in China.
Speaking on behalf of Minister Reza Salehi-Amiri, Ayoubi described the East as “the cradle of meaning” and tourism as a tool to rebuild “global trust” and challenge dominant narratives, IRNA reported.
He framed tourism not just as an economic driver, but a civilizational “bridge” that can reconnect nations fractured by modern isolation and mistrust.
“Tourism has the power to break media monopolies,” Ayoubi said, emphasizing its role in correcting distorted narratives and re-establishing people-to-people ties.
He added that countries like Iran offer “living culture and enduring traditions,” which he sees as vital for global spiritual and cultural restoration.
Criticizing the spiritual void in Western modernity, he said the West is “trapped in racial supremacy and meaninglessness,” while the East has successfully merged tradition and modernity.
Renewal in the East, he argued, means not imitation but “reinterpretation” of its historic wisdom.
“Humanity is yearning for the warmth of mysticism and the open arms of meaning-driven cultures,” Ayoubi told delegates, urging SCO members to loosen visa barriers and boost intra-regional tourism to fuel both reconciliation and strategic cooperation.
He tied this vision to larger geopolitical initiatives such as China’s Belt and Road project and the revival of the Silk Road, calling for “real unity among nations with a shared fate.”
Ayoubi also invited SCO members to attend a high-level summit on cultural, artistic, and health tourism to be hosted in Iran next year.
Ayoubi condemned Israel’s recent strikes on Iranian territory and called on SCO states to take a firm stance in defense of Iran’s sovereign rights. “Justice,” he said, “is not just a legal demand. It is a civilizational necessity aligned with the goals of the World Tourism Organization and the human ideals of the SCO.”
On the sidelines of the SCO culture ministers’ summit, Iran and Tajikistan called for a formal union to promote Persian language and heritage across the region.
Ayoubi met with Tajikistan’s Minister of Culture, Matluba Khan Sattoriyon, to stress the deep-rooted cultural ties between the two nations. Both sides agreed that Iran and Tajikistan, as “the two wings of Persian culture,” must lead efforts to unify the Persian-speaking world.
Ayoubi proposed building a “permanent framework” for cultural and academic cooperation, drawing parallels to pan-Turkic initiatives already in motion. “With our shared treasures in language, history, and philosophy,” he said, “we must step up and shape a cohesive cultural space.”