TEHRAN – Iran and India are exploring new cultural, tourism and economic cooperation through an initiative to revive the historic Spice Route, with Kerman province emerging as a focal point for the proposed partnership.
Proposals include holding a joint meeting between Iranian provincial officials and Indian diplomatic representatives in Kerman, inviting Indian officials to the 18th Iran festival of nomadic and regional music, and establishing a sister-city relationship between Mahan in Kerman province and Bidar in India’s Karnataka state.
Mohammad Jahanshahi, an official with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, told the Tehran Times on Tuesday that the proposals were discussed at a meeting between Kerman Chamber of Commerce officials and Rajesh Poonappa, second secretary for commercial and cultural affairs at the Indian Embassy in Iran.
Jahanshahi said the meeting focused on advancing the Spice Route initiative and exploring shared capacities for developing cooperation in historical, cultural, tourism and economic fields.
He described the historic commercial route as a potential platform for broader bilateral engagement, saying its significance extends beyond its historical background and could contribute to a new framework for relations between the two countries.
“Historical corridors and routes can serve as platforms for developing relations and interaction between countries,” Jahanshahi said, adding that the Spice Route could play a similar role in Iran-India relations.
He also highlighted the longstanding connections between the two civilizations, saying historical evidence points to at least 5,000 years of interaction between Iran and India.
According to Jahanshahi, Kerman has several historical assets that could help promote the initiative, including the Hindu Caravanserai in the city’s historic bazaar. The building is regarded as evidence of the commercial and cultural links between the two countries and could provide a setting for interpreting their shared heritage.
Efforts to advance the initiative
Jahanshahi said several measures have been taken in recent years to advance the Spice Route initiative, including the establishment of a national Spice Route secretariat at the Kerman Chamber of Commerce.
Tourism rallies between Kerman and India and food tourism festivals organized under the Spice Route theme have also been held as part of efforts to develop the initiative.
The proposal has additionally been presented to Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and introduced to India and other BRICS members at a meeting in Jaipur, Jahanshahi said.
He described these activities as preliminary steps toward establishing broader cooperation along the proposed route.
At the recent meeting, Kerman officials also called for a joint gathering involving Indian embassy representatives and provincial authorities. The proposal received a positive response from the Indian side, he said.
Seyyed Mehdi Tabibzadeh, head of the Kerman Chamber of Commerce, invited Indian diplomatic officials to visit the province and outlined its economic and commercial capacities. He also expressed Kerman’s readiness to expand bilateral relations and pursue the Spice Route initiative through its historical and cultural assets.
Proposal for an Indian consulate in Kerman
Another proposal raised during the meeting was the establishment of an Indian consulate in Kerman.
Jahanshahi said participants suggested that the consulate could symbolically be based at the Hindu Caravanserai in the city’s historic bazaar, turning the heritage structure into a symbol of the longstanding cultural and historical ties between Iran and India.
The proposal was discussed as part of broader efforts to strengthen diplomatic, commercial and cultural engagement between the two countries.
Indian participation in regional music festival
The 18th Iran festival of nomadic and regional music was also discussed during the meeting, given the Spice Route’s role as one of the festival’s principal themes.
Jahanshahi said six foreign countries have been invited to participate in this year’s festival. Pirooz Arjmand, secretary of the event, formally invited Indian embassy officials to attend the cultural and musical gathering.
The festival is expected to provide an opportunity to highlight the historical connections between Iran and India through music and cultural exchange.
Talking about the sisterhood proposal, Jahanshahi said it aims to establish closer ties between the two cities and promote cooperation in cultural, tourism and economic fields.
He said the initiative is being pursued within the framework of the Spice Route project, with the goal of expanding people-to-people and institutional connections between Iran and India.
Diplomatic visit planned for December
Jahanshahi said Indian embassy representatives are expected to visit Kerman on Dec. 5-6, corresponding to the 14th and 15th of Azar in the Iranian calendar.
The planned visit is expected to focus on two main activities: attending the festival of nomadic and regional music and holding a one-day Spice Route meeting hosted by the Kerman Chamber of Commerce, with the participation of provincial executive officials.
Jahanshahi expressed hope that the meetings would help move the initiative beyond preliminary discussions and toward practical cooperation and implementation.
The proposed revival of the Spice Route seeks to draw on the historical commercial and cultural connections between the two countries while creating opportunities for contemporary tourism, trade and cultural exchange.
AM
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
