Iran (IMNA) - Ali Ghasemzadeh, in a joint meeting with the Portuguese ambassador to Iran, noted that "by the virtue of sister-city relationships, cities will be able to expand their relations freely, regardless of any official diplomacy."
Saying that partnerships between universities has been considered important in the Memorandum of Understanding between Isfahan and Porto, Ali Ghasemzade expressed hope that, "sooner or later, we will witness the teaching of Portuguese literature at the universities of Isfahan."
Referring to his conversation with the Iranian ambassador to Portugal two weeks ago, the Mayor of Isfahan went on to say that, "During these talks, the Isfahan's Cultural Week has been scheduled to be held in person in March 2022 or May 2022 if the outbreak of Coronavirus goes through a downward trend."
Ghasemzadeh pointed to the 500-year-old relations between Iran and Portugal and said, “part of this relationship dates back to the time when Isfahan was the administrative capital of Iran, and now the city has turned into Iran’s cultural capital; I hope our close partnership would be continued well into the future."
The mayor of Isfahan expressed hope that the negotiations to revive the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA), would be crowned with success so that the relations between Isfahan and Portugal would be better tracked.”
Carlos Costa Neves the Portuguese ambassador to Iran, expressed his satisfaction with this meeting and his trip to Isfahan and noted, "I hope that the twin town relationship between Isfahan and Porto will boost the cooperation between the two cities."
The Portuguese ambassador to Iran stressed the need to implement the proposals that have already been exchanged between the two cities of Isfahan and Porto, and added, "We hope to witness a boom in trade relations between Isfahan and Portugal after the Vienna talks over Iran's nuclear deal."
He pointed to the 500-year history of Iran-Portugal relations and continued, "We hope that these collaborations will lead to the teaching of Portuguese and Spanish in Iranian universities, including the University of Isfahan; Persian language is currently taught in Portuguese universities."
Adding that Portugal is one of the top 50 countries with the highest tourism rate, he said, "we hope to be able to send a delegation from Portugal to identify Iran's tourism carrying capacity in an effort to further the cooperation."
In the end, the Portuguese ambassador to Iran expressed his hope that the Isfahan-Porto twinning agreement would lead to a dynamic relationship between the two cities.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Portuguese ambassador to Iram presented a book by the Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa, who was strongly influenced by the worldview of the Omar Khayyam, to the mayor of Isfahan.
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