Head of the institute Niknam Hosseinipour briefed Sarvar Bakhti on the institute’s members, saying they are cultural figures in the fields of literature, drama and cinema, music, fine arts, and traditional arts who are over 60 years old and have received a first-class art certificate from the Evaluation Council of Artists, Writers, and Poets of the country, IRNA wrote.

Hosseinipour added that the institute has nearly a thousand members, from the late actor Ezzatollah Entezami and Ali Nassirian to the late vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri — Iran’s great figures.

He said the institute renders different services to the artists to help them be as creative as before.

Hosseinipour added the two sides can hold commemoration ceremonies for prominent global figures.

He said there is a very wide cultural capacity in Iran and it is expected that there will always be created in this field.

“Investment in arts and culture sectors is, in fact, an investment for future generations; we have inherited from previous generations and we have a duty to preserve it and hand it on to the next generations,” Hosseinipour added.

Bakhti said that the ECO Cultural Institute also aims to establish a broad relationship between cultural figures from different countries having commonalities.

“We must benefit from cultural commonalities, which are a precious inheritance, in order to achieve more peace.”

To this end, the ECO Cultural Institute will cooperate with cultural institutions such as Iran’s Veteran Artists Institute.

He pointed out that the coronavirus could not lead to the closure of cultural programs, adding, “We held all our meetings, roundtables, festivals and exhibitions virtually in order not to be out of business these days.”


Source: Irna Daily