Esmaili made the remarks in a meeting with Salim bin Mohammed Almalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).

Referring to the importance of ICESCO for Tehran, the culture minister said that there are common cultural issues in the Islamic World, and there is a need for more consultation and dialogue between the authorities of Islamic countries in this field.

ICESCO can play an important role in this regard, he added.

Cooperation with the Islamic World and societies that share cultural matters with Iran has been a priority for Tehran, he continued.

Referring to Iran’s historic role in spreading Islamic culture, Esmaili emphasized the joint cooperation with ICESCO and invited Almalik to visit Tehran.

Almalik, for his part, hailed Iran for being rich in cultural matters.

Since the founding of ISESCO in 1979 as part of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iran has been one of the active countries, he said, adding that Iran can play an important role in the development of ICESCO programs.

MP/5894622