Iran invited to Asian Cultural Complex Fair 2015

TEHRAN, Nov. 02 (MNA) – The head of the Asian Culture Complex Fair 2015 has invited Iran to attend the Complex. Yung Chul Lee, the head of Artistic Section of Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) had made the invitation in a meeting with Iran’s head of Cultural Heritage Organization Research Center on Saturday. “The present visit contributed to our interest and keenness on Iran’s rich culture, especially Iranian myths and legendary tales,” Mr. Lee was quoted by Mehr News as saying. He proposed Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization to cooperate in Asian Culture Complex Fair of 2015. Seyed Mohammad Beheshti welcomed any cooperation in the Complex Fair, and hoped that both sides would sign the cooperation agreement. “Europeans called us Asians, while we have been here long before them,” he said. He then elaborated on the cultural connotations of neighborhood in Persian; “neighbors means two countries embracing their shadows; in terms of culture, it would also similarly mean both countries embrace their cultures,” Beheshti said. Mrs. Ahram Kim, Korean researcher and an aide of Mr. Lee provided details of the formation of Asian Culture Complex and its many subsections, and believed that the Fair which would display Asian countries’ tangible and intangible cultural heritage would contribute to one of the objectives of the Complex. “South Korea had long been under the impact of the Europe and the US, thus it suffered a sort of cultural alienation and break with its true self; however, recently, we have found our true Asian roots, and in this path, we would display our myths and legends in artistic forms,” said the researcher. She lamented the lack of academic centers of Iranian cultural studies in Far East, and believed that cooperation of Cultural Heritage Research Center would be the first step in the path to cultural opening.