"Our embassies' appeal was directed at America" – Iran responded to Uzbekistan's objections
Iranian Foreign Ministry official spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the embassies' satirical posts about Samarkand were directed at the US. His statement came three days after Uzbekistan summoned the Iranian ambassador and demanded the deletion of the posts.
“Our embassies' appeal was addressed to America” – Iran responded to Uzbekistan’s objections
Ismail Baghaei, the official spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacted to the diplomatic dispute that arose with Uzbekistan over the Samarkand heritage. At a briefing held in Tehran on October 26, one of the journalists recalled that some Iranian embassies had reacted with satirical posts to photos taken during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Uzbekistan.
The questioner noted that this situation reportedly upset some Uzbek officials and asked whether these events could affect relations between the two countries.
Ismail Baghaei began his response with the words, “Allow me to cite a couplet,” and quoted an excerpt from Rudaki's famous poem dedicated to Bukhara:
“The scent of the Mooliyan stream is coming,
The memory of the beloved friend is coming.
O Bukhara, rejoice and live long,
The Amir is coming towards you full of joy.”
“The bond and connection between Iran and Uzbekistan is not a matter of today or yesterday. Samarkand and Bukhara, like many other ancient places and cities in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Indian subcontinent, are part of Iran's shared civilization and cultural heritage with other peoples. We are proud of this shared heritage. We must use this shared heritage as a foundation to strengthen relations with neighboring countries, including the states of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
In what happened, the appeal of our friends at some embassies was addressed to the American side. They wanted to remind how practically incorrect and clumsy the harsh words and rude attitude of the Americans towards Iranian civilization, culture, and history actually are. The shared Iranian-Islamic heritage can be seen in every corner of the region.”