Ambassador: Tehran-Vienna ties will help protect region’s cultural heritage

Iran and Austria need to further bilateral ties to protect the cultural heritage of the region, said the Austrian ambassador to Iran, AVA Diplomatic reports.

Stefan Scholz, who was speaking in a meeting with officials from Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization and the President of the Blue Shield International Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, recalled that his country’s relations with Iran date back to some 700 years ago and that ties are still developing.

He pointed to the need for forming Blue Shield Committee in Iran as well as in regional countries to expand cultural ties with Iran to play more effective role in protecting the region’s cultural heritage.

Blue Shield Committees are being formed in more than 40 countries and like International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, it is responsible for protecting cultural heritage in the world, he pointed out.

The Austrian diplomat said that the committee, as an affiliate of UNESCO, makes great attempts to have preemptive measures to prevent the destruction of cultural heritage.

The organization has been effective in its actions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, he noted.

Scholz said that the committee comprises organizations which cooperate with museums, archives, audio and visual organizations, libraries and historical monuments.