Indonesia seeks broader cultural exchanges with Iran
Indonesia’s Culture Minister Fadli Zon called for expanded cultural exchanges with Tehran during a meeting with Iran’s representative at the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting in Bhopal, India, on Saturday, urging a renewed push to deepen ties in literature, cinema and heritage cooperation.
Zon said his understanding of Iran’s rich civilization was shaped by a previous visit to the country, praising the hospitality of the Iranian people and describing cultural relations between the two nations as “always at a good level.”
“Today, we need to rebuild, strengthen and expand these relations with a new outlook suited to current circumstances,” Zon said, IRNA wrote.
The Indonesian minister expressed interest in increasing his country’s participation in cultural programs with Iran, particularly the Tehran International Book Fair, which he described as an opportunity to further connect the two countries through publishing and literature.
During the meeting with Mohsen Javadi, Iran’s deputy culture minister for cultural affairs and the country’s representative at the BRICS gathering, officials also discussed joint film productions, cooperation on preserving and restoring historical heritage, and expanding collaboration in tangible and intangible cultural industries.
The two-day BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting opened in Bhopal on August 8 under the theme “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The event brings together culture officials from BRICS member states to discuss cultural cooperation frameworks.
The BRICS cultural meeting runs through August 9, ahead of the group’s 18th leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-September in New Delhi.