The fourth consultation meeting of the members of the Regional Research Center for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia, which is run under the auspices of UNESCO, was held late last week at Hotel Ferdowsi in Tehran.
The two-day meeting chaired by Mohammad Hasan Talebian, deputy head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, aimed to allow discussion on the possible ways of protecting intangible heritage and promoting amicable relations between the member states, CHTN reported.
Speaking at the meeting, Talebian highlighted the council's strong role in spreading peace and friendship among the countries and keeping an eye on the shared intangible heritage in the region.
The event, which was warmly welcomed by the member countries, "perfectly reflected the determination of the members to ease tensions in the region," according to Talebian.
The participating members expressed readiness to cooperate in the center's plans for this year which include a number of specialized projects as well as training workshops in the region on the strategies of protecting intangible heritage to address UNESCO's concern of devising efficient protective measures, the official said.
The member states also agreed to host professional workshops and regular cultural events in line with UNESCO's ultimate goals.
At the meeting, Syria officially joined the council as a new member. Furthermore, Armenia and Lebanon attended as substitutes of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan whose membership period had expired.
The event was attended by representatives from the member countries, including Armenia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Lebanon as well as Hojjatollah Ayoubi, secretary-general at the National Commission for UNESCO.
