9th Meet Of SCO Culture Ministers Opens In Beijing

Beijing, June 5, IRNA – The 9th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) Culture Ministers, with the presence of Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister, Sayed Mohammad Hosseini, started working here on Tuesday morning. The releases of Beijing Declaration as well as the joint statement of member and observer-states are parts of the scheduled tasks of the meeting. It is expected that the meeting approves also the executive program for working of inter-governmental agreements on cultural cooperation among the SCO member and observer states in the 2012-2014 period. Iranian Culture Minister is also scheduled to give a speech in the meeting on Tuesday evening. Hosseini had a short meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Cai Wu, before the beginning of the summit and the Chinese official welcomed Tehran’s presence. Wu and Hosseini will meet on Thursday to finalize a Memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Beijing on expansion of cultural relations. Iranian Culture Minister had also a meeting with his Kazak counterpart, Ermukhamet Qabidenuly Ertysbayev, on Tuesday morning. Tajikistan Minister of Culture, Mirza Shahrokh Asrari, and Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister emphasized development of ties in their meeting here on Monday. Tajikistan Minister of Culture called for the transfer of Iran’s experience to Tajikistan in holding international book fairs, preservation and repair of historical monuments as well as the production of qualified handicrafts. Iran’s Culture Minister, for his part, declared Tehran’s readiness to offer its experience in all fields to the brother nation of Tajikistan, noting that the expansion of cultural relations between the two countries and in particular in the fields of literature and poetry will help the two nations better understand each other. The two officials conferred on latest developments of bilateral cultural relations. Iran's Culture Minister arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the 9th Meeting of the SCO Culture Ministers, there. Beijing is hosting the 12th SCO Meeting from June 6-7, which is expected to map out the future of this influential organization that brings together Russia and China, the two permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the energy-rich Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. India, Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia currently enjoy the status of observers in the SCO. India, China and Russia are in favor of resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy./end