Nowruz Summit to Be Held in Tehran with Ministers from 18 Countries

TEHRAN (Iran News) Hojatollah Eyubi made the remarks during the first meeting of the Nowruz Global Summit Policy Council, held at the Ministry’s Tourism Department. He stated that invitations have been sent to 27 tourism and cultural ministers from 18 countries, with five members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) attending as observers.

Eyubi clarified that the five ECO countries participating as observers are Shanghai, Russia, Indonesia, India, and China.

Expressing gratitude to the institutions that assisted in organizing the summit, Eyubi highlighted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ strong support. “In previous years, we prepared to hold the Nowruz Summit but were unable to do so,” he said.

The senior advisor emphasized that the international summit will feature speeches by participating ministers and the Iranian president. “This is not a Nowruz festival; the summit’s declaration carries a political message that Iran is a safe country, positioned in a state of neither war nor peace,” he explained.

Eyubi noted that the summit will focus on international networking rather than large-scale public celebrations. “While Tajikistan holds grand events for Nowruz every year, we are creating a network to highlight Iran as the central hub of Nowruz globally,” he said.

In addition to speeches by the president and visiting ministers, several cultural programs are planned, including performances by foreign Nowruz symphony groups, aimed at delivering a high-quality and culturally significant program reflecting Iran and Nowruz traditions.

Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpei, Deputy Minister for Tourism at the Ministry, said that China and India will be the summit’s special guests. He stressed the importance of reviewing the reasons the summit was not held in 2023 and 2024 and addressing those challenges.

Mohseni Bandpei added that a permanent Nowruz Summit Secretariat will be established in Tehran. A cultural and artistic committee under the Ministry of Culture, along with committees overseeing accommodation, security, taxation, and public relations, have been added to the summit’s organizational structure.

He also highlighted the role of cultural diplomacy in boosting tourism: “Thanks to the special support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign tourist arrivals in Farvardin this year increased by 48.5 percent compared to the same period last year.”

Regarding travel services, Mohseni Bandpei noted that the Travel Coordination Headquarters, with the participation of 27 agencies, will oversee travel monitoring and supervision from March 15 to April 4 (25 Esfand to 15 Farvardin).