The Artists’ Union of Armenia today opened the “Iran Through the Eyes of Armenian Artists” competition-exhibition held by the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Armenia and the Union of Artists and Art Critics of Iran.

The official opening ceremony was preceded by the signing of a cultural memorandum between the Unions of Artists of Armenia and Iran which is aimed at enhancing the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

“The relations between Iran and Armenia are in very special and historical conditions. The centuries-old relations between our two peoples bind us to think about what steps we need to take in this historic period,” Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri stated, adding that it is also important to strengthen the economic ties between the two countries. “I must emphasize that our economic ties are not at the desired level. Although we are neighboring states, there are Armenians and Iranians who don’t know each other very well. I believe the Armenian and Iranian nations should not let the pages of history disappear, especially when we are witnessing distortions of history,” he added.

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Ara Khzmalyan stated that the Armenian-Iranian cultural relations have been growing recently and said he was glad to mention the fact that the relations are not only growing at the state level, but there are also initiatives from the public sector. He also voiced hope that the signing of the memorandum will help creators lay the cooperation on institutional foundations.