IRNA - An international relations expert says that in recent years Iran has paid little attention to Eastern Europe in its policy making and needs to focus on opportunities in various fields of the region.�


Towhid Moharrami, a faculty member at the Cultural, Arts and Communication Research Institute, said at a special meeting on the cultural affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Eastern Europe on Monday, 'We have to enter the arena of the countries of Eastern Europe and take advantage of opportunities in line with national interests.�

He added, 'We should not pay attention to just a few western European countries in the European area. In Eastern European countries, there is not so much commitment to Western Europe, and we have to take this opportunity and take steps to improve the understanding of the two sides.'

According to him, there is considerable independence in the Eastern European societies, which creates opportunities for Iran in various fields, including cultural, tourism and academic. Tehran can expand artistic relationships, including cinema, theater, and crafts with Eastern European countries.

'Poles have a positive view of us, and we also have a good vision of them,' said Moharrami,

'So that we should use this capacity and establish close ties with the region in the field of cultural affairs. We do not have a cultural attach� in many Eastern European countries and there is no definite strategy in this area. We need to have an accurate picture of the whole of Europe in order to identify policies towards Eastern Europe.�