Bushehr To Host Persian Gulf Confab

Tehran, April 28, IRNA - The Persian Gulf Conference will be kicked off in the southern Province of Bushehr on Sunday (April 29), focusing on cultural and tourism potentials of the Persian Gulf. The landmark conference will mark the National Day of Persian Gulf to promote the cultural and historical identity of the Persian Gulf, a major national character. While historical documents show that the Persian Gulf belongs to the Persian Empire, certain Arab states are refusing to refer to its full name in blatant violation of the cultural standards. Iran designated April 30 as the National Day of the Persian Gulf to highlight the fact that the waterway has been referred to by historians and ancient texts as 'Persian' since the Achaemenid Empire was established in what is now modern day Iran. National Day of the Persian Gulf marks the anniversary of the expulsion of Portuguese military forces from the Strait of Hormuz in 1622, during the reign of Safavid king Shah Abbas I (1587-1629). The conference will discuss social, historical, economic, political, geographical and environmental aspects of the Persian Gulf region./end