TEHRAN – Malaysia’s chargé d’affaires and head of mission in Tehran Wan Azninizam Yusri Wan Abdul Rashid has highlighted the interest of many Malaysians in visiting Iran, particularly the historic city of Isfahan, and called for broader tourism, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.

Speaking to IRNA, Abdul Rashid said that about 30 percent of the 234 passengers on the flight he took to Iran on August 24 were Malaysian nationals, describing the figure as an indication of the interest among some Malaysians in visiting Iran.

He said tourism cooperation between Iran and Malaysia had existed previously but was largely limited to specific groups. Malaysia now seeks to expand such exchanges by making greater use of the two countries’ cultural capacities, he added.

According to Abdul Rashid, 19,134 Iranian tourists traveled to Malaysia last year. He said Malaysia was seeking to expand both scientific and tourism cooperation with Iran.

Given the shared capacities of the two countries in tourism and culture, Malaysia is seeking to expand its relations with Iran, he said, adding that the two sides also wanted to develop cooperation in science and technology to facilitate greater exchanges of knowledge and experience.

Abdul Rashid said greater familiarity with Iranian culture among Malaysians could contribute to tourism development. He noted that Iran and Malaysia share a number of commonalities, including Islam.

Asked about flights between the two countries amid regional conditions, he said direct flights were operating but declined to provide further details about their frequency.

He also pointed to the potential for attracting more Iranian tourists to Malaysia, saying that just as Iranian travelers visit countries across the region, Malaysia hopes to attract a larger number of them.

Asked about his personal view of Iran, he said: “I love Iran, and I feel as if I have come home.”

AM