BANDAR ABBAS, Hormozgan Prov. Portuguese Ambassador to Tehran Jose Manuel da Gosta Arsenio said on Wednesday in the southern island of Qeshm that Portuguese historical castles in the Iranian islands of Qeshm and Hormoz are to be rebuilt.

He told reporters that the planned move is within the framework of Iran-Portugal cultural relations.

Reconstruction work will be performed by a Portuguese cultural foundation in cooperation with the Qeshm Free Zone, he added.

He said a Portuguese technical delegation is to arrive in Iran in October to closely study the situation of the castles in the Iranian southern islands, and that all expenses for rebuilding will be borne by the Portuguese Cultural Foundation.

"The two (Portuguese) castles in Qeshm and Hormoz islands will be reconstructed using construction materials used at the time and on the basis of original designs," he added.

He said by undertaking cultural projects ties between countries can further be strengthened.

Arsenio also said: "We believe in the need to have the reconstruction project on the castles implemented thoroughly."

He stressed that the main objective behind reconstruction of the Portuguese castles is to help further promote Tehran-Lisbon cooperation in various fields.

"The cultural foundation willing to reconstruct the castles in Iran is a private foundation and has nothing to do with the Portuguese government," he said, adding that the foundation has thus far undertaken renovation work on 11 Portuguese historical monuments scattered in various parts of the globe, including Brazil, Malaysia and several South American countries.

According to IRNA, the Portuguese castles located in southern Iran have been registered as part of Iran's cultural heritage. They were constructed in 1621 by order of the Spanish King Philip as bastions against foreign invaders.

The castles were occupied by Iranian forces in 1622. Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization has already renovated parts of the castles but more repair work remains to be done.