Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Iran attaches great importance to its relations with Uzbekistan, and the two nations’ shared heritage provides a foundation for maintaining and strengthening friendly ties, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.
He was responding to a journalist’s question about Tashkent’s reaction to posts about Samarkand published by Iranian diplomatic missions.
“Relations between Iran and Uzbekistan did not begin today or yesterday,” Baghaei said. He added that some staff members at Iranian embassies had published their posts as an appeal to the American side.
“We are confident that our shared heritage, found in various regions of neighbouring countries and across the wider region, serves as a foundation for maintaining and strengthening friendly ties between our peoples,” the spokesman said.
On 23 October, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Ali Eskandari and handed him a note of protest. The note expressed Tashkent’s “strong objection” to posts about Samarkand published by several Iranian diplomatic missions abroad on the social media platform X.
According to Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry, the materials presented Samarkand’s historical and cultural heritage in a one-sided manner and for political purposes.
The Uzbek side emphasised that the heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other historic cities forms an integral part of the region’s centuries-long historical and cultural development.
The ministry said Samarkand’s character reflects the Uzbek people’s centuries-long history, traditions of statehood and cultural development. It also stressed that materials published on the official platforms of diplomatic missions should uphold the principles of mutual respect and trust and avoid politicising historical and cultural issues.
Iran was asked to remove the posts and take measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry said the country values its relations with Iran but maintains a firm position against one-sided interpretations of its historical and cultural heritage.
