Tehran, April 10, IRNA – Visiting president of Paris Louvre Museum here on Saturday called for expansion of bilateral cooperation in holding an exhibition of historical works in the two countries.


Jean-Luc Martinez made the remarks while visiting Golestan Palace in Tehran.

Martinez reiterated that over 550,000 ancient works are kept in Louvre Museum.

'Louvre Museum is fully determined to safeguard its historical works against the terrorist attacks,' he added.

'The museum has 300 staff that are directly chosen by French Presidential Office,' he said, putting the annual budget of the Louvre museum at 230 million euro.

'There is not a special section for Iranian historical works in Louvre Museum and they are kept in the ancient east sector of the museum,' he said.

Martinez, head of one of the world’s largest museums, heading a delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday.

On Jan 2016, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Louvre in Paris.

Based on the MoU, the two sides agreed upon mutual cooperation in such fields as archeology and local arts.

The MoU was signed hours before the arrival of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the French capital on a historic visit.

By IRNA