TEHRAN -- Touba Kermani, the director of social affairs of Iranian expatriates of the Islamic Relations and Culture Organization (IRCO), said here on Sunday that there are over 3 million Iranians living abroad interested in reestablishing ties with Iran.

Speaking at a cultural meeting in Tehran, Kermani said, "Making it possible for Iranian expatriates to have relations with Iran is one of the main duties of Iran's cultural attaches. "It is estimated that there are 200,000 Iranians residing in Britain, 180,000 in France, 160,000 in Canada, 120,000 in Germany, 100,000 in Austria, 30-40,000 in Italy, and 73,000 in Kuwait. There are also 300,000 Iranians living in the United Arab Emirates and 100,000 in Australia."

She added that holding Norouz ceremonies and religious and national festivals in cities where Iranians reside in order to promote Iranian culture and Islamic culture are some of the organization's activities for Iranian expatriates.

She described some of the other activities of the IRCO and said that due to the striking rise in the number of Iranian expatriates visiting Iran, Iranian cultural attaches have been trying to inform Iranians about changes in their homeland.