SHOTLIST:

TEHRAN, IRAN (AUGUST 26, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. IRANIAN MINISTER CULTURE AND ISLAMIC GUIDANCE ABBAS SALEHI SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE TEHRAN, IRAN - AUGUST 26: Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salihi stated that his country's relations with Turkey hold a special place, saying, “Our relations with Turkiye are good in all areas and have continued for years.”

Minister Salihi met with local and foreign press members at the Ministry's Bag-ı Ziba complex in the capital Tehran.

Answering questions from journalists at the meeting, Salihi responded to an AA correspondent's question: “What cultural events and projects are planned as part of the declaration of 2025 as the Turkiye-Iran Year of Culture, and what new opportunities do you see in the cultural sphere with Turkey as part of Iran's policy of strengthening relations with its neighbors?”

Emphasizing that Iran attaches great importance to good relations with its neighbors, Salihi said, “In the words of our President (Masoud Pezeshkian), we are not just neighbors with our neighbors, but rather a family. Borders may have been drawn, but we have so many cultural and historical ties that we are seen as a family.”

Salihi noted that there have been continuous talks at various levels between the two countries, primarily between Iranian President Pezeshkiyan and President Erdogan, saying, “These relations have a special place. Unfortunately, due to the martyrdom of the late President (Ibrahim Reisi) and those with him, and the events that took place in Iran, 2025 could not be fully utilized.”