Iran (IMNA) - Samarkand is the second largest Uzbakistancity after Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan where most of the inhabitants speak Tajik Farsi. The historic part of the city was inscribed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2001.
The cultural affinity of Isfahan and Samarkand has been considered as the main ground for suggested sister city relationship; Samarkand is one of the major Shiite population centers in Central Asia, and most Shias now live in the "Iranians" neighborhood, where the ancestors of the locals in the past came from Iran and settled.
The Director General of the Center for Communications and International Affairs of Isfahan Municipality Iman Hojati said, "Regarding the foreign affairs, the priority is to expand relations, and conclude sister-city agreements with the cities in neighboring countries; we have been striving to achieve beneficial results in this sense."
Noting that a memorandum of understanding on inking a sister-city relation between Yazd and Khiva was made before, he added," the necessary arrangements had been made with the Iranian embassy in Tashkent to establish a sister city relationship with Samarkand, and that the mayor of Isfahan has been scheduled to meet the mayor of Samarkand this week. All these steps will be carried out with the authorization of the Ministry of Interior."
Fathollah Moin, a member of the Islamic City Council of Isfahan, also stated, "Isfahan has long been known as a historic city; so, the municipality has a responsibility to maintain communication with the cities in neighboring countries."
He added,"Samarkand's inhabitants are Persian-speaking, and in the past this city belonged to Iran; this would explain the similar lifestyle of the people of this city to Iranians. Therefore, the municipality's action in making a sister-city relation with Samarkand will be beneficial even in the national level."
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