Tashkent Summons Iran's Ambassador Over Samarkand Posts on Social Media

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iranian Ambassador to Tashkent Mohammad Ali Eskandari on October 23 and delivered a formal protest note, the ministry's press service announced on Instagram.

The note expresses Tashkent's "firm disagreement" with publications posted on social network X by several Iranian diplomatic missions abroad. According to the Uzbek side, these posts presented Samarkand's historical and cultural heritage in a one-sided manner and for political purposes.

During the meeting, the Uzbek side emphasized that the heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and other historic cities is an integral part of the centuries-long history, traditions of statehood, and cultural development of the Uzbek people.

The Foreign Ministry also stated that materials published on official information channels of diplomatic missions must comply with the principles of "mutual respect and trust" and should not politicize historical and cultural issues.

Iran was asked to remove the relevant posts from its diplomatic missions' pages and take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry stressed that the country values its relations with Iran, based on mutual respect and trust.