China urges Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation to jointly safeguard the peace and stability in the region, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun on Tuesday.
Guo made the statement at a regular press briefing in Beijing in response to a media query regarding the clashes along the border between Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and Pakistan’s Balochistan province, after the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire in mid-October.
"China noted the reports. Pakistan and Afghanistan are both China's traditional friendly neighbors, and the two countries are and will always be neighbors of each other. China hopes that Pakistan and Afghanistan will continue resolving their disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, deescalate the situation, and keep the region peaceful and stable. China is ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role for the improvement and development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations," said Guo.
China calls on Pakistan, Afghanistan to resolve disputes through dialogue
China calls on Pakistan, Afghanistan to resolve disputes through dialogue
The U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran since February 28 have inflicted irreparable damage on the country's priceless cultural heritage sites, according to Hassan Fartousi, secretary-general of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Fartousi said that 132 cultural heritage items have been attacked in recent strikes, emphasizing that the losses extend far beyond monetary valuation.
"Last night, I was told that 132 pieces [items] of our cultural heritage have been attacked, and it is really impossible to say how much the costs are, and it can be said that these (damaged cultural heritage items) are priceless and irreparable. How can these be defined?" Fartousi said.
Among the most severely affected sites is the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2013.
Fartousi said that about 40 percent of the palace's historic mirror works, dating back nearly 220 years to the Qajar period, have been damaged.
"Unfortunately, in Golestan Palace, there are almost 40 percent of the mirror works [that] have been damaged which belong to almost 220 years ago, the Qajar period. The same situation [occurred] in the Saad Abad complex [in] which the Green Palace [was] attacked in a way which the specialists were telling me very sadly that it may not be possible to repair some of the damages," he said.
The Golestan Palace complex, selected as the royal residence and seat of power by the Qajar ruling family in the 19th century, has been described by UNESCO as "a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences."
The Saad Abad complex, a sprawling former royal compound in northern Tehran, encompasses an extensive park with multiple buildings now serving as museums dedicated to Iran's cultural history. The official residence of Iran's president is located adjacent to the site.
U.S.-Israeli airstrikes cause irreparable damage to Iran's cultural heritage sites: UNESCO official
