In a meeting between Iran's top cultural heritage authority and Austrian officials in Tehran on Monday, Iran was invited to join the International Committee of the Blue Shield by establishing a national center to help protect the region's heritage assets.
ICBS, also described as Cultural Red Cross, was established in 1996 to protect the world's cultural heritage threatened by wars and natural disasters.
Karl von Habsburg, a key Austrian political figure who heads the Association of National Committees of Blue Shield, along with Austrian ambassador in Tehran Stephan Scholz, met with Mohammad Hassan Talebian, deputy at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
Pointing out that over 40 countries have so far set up national committees of Blue Shield, Scholz called for the establishment of premises in Iran on behalf of Habsburg.
"The ICBS is ready to help set up a national center in Iran so as to cooperate in educating local experts to prevent the destruction and illegal trade of cultural heritage property at times of conflict or natural disasters," he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
He highlighted the recent effective measures to protect the cultural heritage of Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as examples of ICBS's efforts to prevent the loss of the properties.
"Iran and Austria have a long history of extensive relations dating back almost 700 years," he said, hoping that it will continue and grow.
Long-Lasting Contribution
Talebian, who is in charge of cultural heritage at ICHHTO, expressed Iran's willingness to become a member of the community.
"Iran is party to most conventions on such themes as heritage, peace and environment and will collaborate with any institute whose ultimate goal is protection of cultural and natural heritage," he said.
He asked the Austrian officials to provide ICHHTO with comprehensive data on the ICBS's previous operations so that Iran's membership could be discussed in a meeting with relevant organizations.
Elaborating on Iran's conservation measures, Talebian said Iranian armed forces have been receiving training on how to protect heritage property in emergency situations for decades.
"The protection unit of ICHHTO along with NGOs and local people also play a key role both in raising public awareness and monitoring historical sites," he said.
At international level, Iran is a pioneer in returning cultural-historical items to their homes and claiming its own from other countries based on UNESCO 1970 Convention (Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property), he added.
"In cooperation with several world organizations such as Interpol and Italy's Carabinieri, we have also organized training courses for the staff of the customs administration, ICHHTO and the police," Talebian noted.
The Blue Shield is the symbol used to identify cultural sites protected by UNESCO's Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict. It is also used to name the international committee that works to protect world cultural heritage threatened by natural and human-made disasters.
