** IRAN DAILY
-- Iran, Russia, Syria Diplomats Begin Talks on Ankara-Damascus Ties
Ali Asghar Khaji, senior adviser to the Iranian foreign minister, who is in Moscow to participate in the quadrilateral meeting of deputy foreign ministers (Iran, Russia, Syria and Türkiye) to resolve Türkiye-Syria tensions, met with Ayman Sosan, the deputy foreign minister of Syria and the accompanying delegation on Monday.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the latest issues related to bilateral relations and political and international developments in Syria.
While welcoming the existing openings in foreign relations and strengthening stability and security in Syria, Khaji emphasized the Islamic Republic of Iran’s determination to continue supporting dialogues for the political settlement of issues between Damascus and Ankara.
-- Official: Iran signs $80b in oil deals with foreign investors
Iran has signed over $80 billion worth in memorandums of understanding with foreign investors to participate in the financing of oil projects, of which more than $5 billion have been converted into contracts, Deputy Minister of Petroleum Houshang Falahatpour said.
“The policy of the Ministry of Petroleum in the 13th government has been to make maximum use of the financing capacity from within the country. Hence, we have directed the capital of banks and large holdings of the country to the oil industry. For example, we opened the door to steelmakers to invest in the development of gas fields,” he told Fars News Agency.
-- Persepolis, Iran’s most visited global heritage during Nowruz
Persepolis world heritage site, located in Iran’s southwestern province of Fars, was the most visited monument in Iran during Nowruz holidays, said a director at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts. A total of 261,049 visitors toured the historical site, followed by the Imam Square in Isfahan and Fin Garden in Kashan, IRNA wrote. Nowruz is the richest ritual heritage from the national culture, while the month of Ramadan is the most important symbol of Islamic culture in Iran, he said, adding that the coincidence of the two events this year is of great significance. The five most visited provinces in terms of national and global heritage, were Fars (521,912 visitors), Isfahan (437,223 visitors), Kerman (153,504 visitors), Kermanshah (134,208 visitors), and Khorasan Razavi (133,259 visitors), he noted. Fars Province in southwest Iran is home to several historical and cultural sites such as Karim Khan Citadel, Pars Museum and many others.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iranian Qari Advances to Semifinal of Saudi Contest
Iranian qari Yunis Shahmoradi is one of the eight contestants who have managed to advance to the semifinal of the Otr Elkalam Qur’an competition in Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah al-Dughri from Morocco and Hamid al-Raisi from the UAE were the last two competitors to qualify for the semifinals of the World Competition for Qur’an (recitation) and Azan (announcing the call for prayers), an initiative of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
Sixteen participants from 13 countries have now qualified for the competition’s semifinals, aired on the GEA-sponsored Otr Elkalam TV show of Ramadan on the MBC TV channel.
-- Saudi-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce to Be Launched Soon
A member of the Presiding Board of the Iran Chamber of Commerce said on Monday that an Iran-Saudi Arabia Joint Chamber of Commerce will be set up in the very near future to strengthen mutual ties in trade and economic fields.
Keyvan Kashefi made the remarks on Monday at the 82nd Meeting of the Council of Dialogue between the Public and Private Sectors held in Kermanshah province, terming the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia as the most important political and economic event in the country in recent weeks.
-- Iran Taekwondokas Bag 4 Medals in World Grand Slam
Iranian taekwondokas have won four different gold, silver and bronze medals in the World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series in China.
The World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series Final was held in Wuxi, China, April 2-3, 2023.
Iranian athlete Aryan Salimi won a gold medal, followed by Mehran Barkhordari and Danial Bozorgi who won two silver medals, and in the third rank, Reza Kalhor won a bronze medal in the two-day event.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Raisi expected to visit Saudi Arabia
The Iranian-Saudi normalization train is moving so fast that it could soon take Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Saudi Arabia. Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber said Monday that President Raisi has accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia.
“King Salman has invited the president, and there has been a positive response to this invitation, and hopefully good things will happen,” Mokhber said. “The main strategies of Mr. Raisi since the first day he was elected as the president have been to improve relations with the countries of the region,” he added.
-- No reliable data about fate of Ahmad Motevaselian, companions: IRGC
Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif, spokesman for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), asserted on Monday that certain media misunderstood the remarks made by IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami regarding the status of Motevaselian and his companions.
Sharif noted that there has been no reliable information regarding his condition and fate. During his Nowruz meetings with the families of Motevaselian and his three associates who went missing in northern Lebanon in 1982, General Salami used the term “martyr” regarding the Iranian military attaché.
-- Iran pursues science diplomacy based on environmental protection
The Islamic Republic of Iran pursues a policy of sustainable development in science and technology with a forward-looking view of humans and the environment, deputy science minister Peyman Salehi has said.
“In this regard, we welcome the interaction and exchange of science and technology with all interested countries and consider science diplomacy as one of the key tools of international cooperation,” he added, IRNA reported. He made the remarks addressing the 26th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) which was held from March 27 – 31 in Geneva, Switzerland.
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