According to the Communications and International Affairs Department of Bandar Abbas municipality, the meeting was attended by Mehdi Nobani, Mayor of Bandar Abbas, Shu Wei, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Iran, Berek Sadykov, Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Samira Asadi, representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bandar Abbas, Mosayeb Nazari, the head of the Islamic City Council, Isa Abbasi, the head of the Cultural Commission of the Islamic City Council of Bandar Abbas, Maryam Pasalar, the head of Communications and International Affairs of Bandar Abbas Municipality, and Shahram Shahidi, the head of the mayor’s office.

At the beginning, Mehdi Nobani welcomed the guests, congratulated the New Year’s Eve, and explained the customs and culture of Iranians and the people of Bandar Abbas during the Nowruz festival. Also he asked the guests about their own customs and traditions at the start of the New Year.

 Referring to the fact that in Kazakhstan, like our country, the New Year starts with Nowruz and that a large population of the country is Muslim, experiencing the coincidence of the natural spring and the spring of the Quran, he extended special congratulations to the consul of the country and inquired about their customs and culture during these days.

The mayor of Bandar Abbas emphasized on the expansion of cultural relations between these countries and Iran and holding cultural ceremonies in common to further acquaint the people of the two countries with each other's customs, traditions, and handicrafts, especially Bandar Abbas, which has been selected as a Creative City of Crafts by UNESCO.

Nobani added: In next September, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Iran will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its independence in Bandar Abbas, where it will display fireworks and many of its customs, and reciprocally, Bandar Abbas, as a Creative City of Crafts, will hold an exhibition. We are writing letters to receive the necessary permissions in this regard.

Later in the meeting, Nobani requested the Consul General of China to introduce contractors from China residing in Iran, especially in Bandar Abbas, with expertise in urban services and urban development to the municipality to exchange knowledge and experiences and collaborate for the advancement of the urban development goals.

Mosayeb Nazari, the head of the Islamic City Council of Bandar Abbas, after welcoming and congratulating New Year Eve to the guests, said: In the previous year, several requests for sister city relationships with foreign cities, including Aktau, Kazakhstan, and Ningbo, China, were referred for obtaining the necessary permits, and the Islamic City Council, after holding meetings of the Cultural Commission for consultation on the future of these sisterhoods and their goals and plans, issued the necessary permits and sent them to the governorate for subsequent approvals.

Isa Abbasi, the head of the Cultural Commission of the Islamic City Council, after congratulating Nowruz and the holy month of Ramadan, welcomed the establishment of cultural relations and sister city agreements, said: Sister city understanding between cities that have some similarities and commonalities such as archaeological, historical, cultural features, common symbols, etc., allows, in addition to political connections of statesmen, to use each other's capacities to advance specific scientific, technical, tourism goals, and the like.

Abbasi added: Cultural diplomacy is one of the main capacities created in sister city relationships, which developed countries focus on more than others. Cultural diplomacy is the exchange of ideas, cultural information, lifestyles, value systems, traditions, and beliefs to achieve common concepts and strengthen mutual understanding among nations and countries, which often leads to the development of the tourism industry.

Abbasi concluded: The prosperity and popularity of tourism between two sister-cities are among the results of sister-city relationships. Many developed countries, focusing on cultural diplomacy, are striving to spread their culture in other countries. Hope is that by expanding cultural relations with other cities around the world, we can effectively contribute to the dissemination of the rich culture of our people.

It is worth mentioning that at the end of this friendly meeting, the mayor appreciated the presence of the guests by presenting them with handicrafts from the artists of Bandar Abbas as a memento.