KABUL (Pajhwok): The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) says it will take practical steps in cooperation with Afghanistan to preserve, restore, digitally document and promote the country’s historical and cultural heritage globally.
Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Mawlawi Atiqullah Azizi met Khalil Ibrahim Okur, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian, cultural and social affairs at OIC, in Kabul, the Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) said.
A statement from the ministry said the two sides discussed the preservation of Afghanistan’s historical artefacts, three-dimensional digital registration of historical sites and the modernisation of cultural institutions.
Azizi said Afghanistan’s cultural heritage shared important historical and religious links with the Islamic world and that the country possessed numerous historical artefacts, ancient monuments, archaeological sites, manuscripts and other cultural treasures whose preservation was a cultural responsibility for Islamic countries.
He also asked the OIC official to pay special attention to strengthening and modernising public libraries, the National Archives, the National Museum and the Fine Arts Directorate.
For his part, Okur said practical steps would be taken through joint cooperation for the preservation, restoration, digital registration and global promotion of Afghanistan’s historical and cultural values.
He assured that opportunities would also be created for Afghan specialists to participate in educational and academic programmes abroad in order to gain new experience and standardised skills.
Okur said the OIC was working to further strengthen Afghanistan’s cultural relations with Islamic countries and international cultural institutions and launch joint practical programmes for the protection of Afghanistan’s historical and cultural heritage.
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