Rome, Nov 19 (IANS/AKI): Italy's Ambassador to Iran, Giuseppe Perrone, has opened an exhibition in Tehran that marks 60 years of cultural cooperation between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Italy's International Association of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISMEO) President Adriano Rossi and Iran's Deputy Culture Minister Mohammad Hassan Talebian also attended the launch of 'Italy and Iran, a 60-year-long cooperation on cultural heritage' which is being held at The National Museum of Iran.

The exhibition which showcases six decades of Italian archaeological missions in Iran, as well as bilateral cooperation on the joint protection and promotion of Iran's cultural heritage through 52 illustrative panels, photographic documentation and findings from various archaeological sites.

"Archaeological and conservation missions are the feather in the cap of our well developed bilateral cultural cooperation," Perrone said.

"It is the duty of our two countries, which are have millennia-old histories and cultures, to continue to work on strengthening and broadening joint initiatives to protect, conserve and promote Iran's extraordinary archaeological treasures for future generations."

The exhibition is "the most comprehensive and extensive exhibition on archaeological and restoration activities ever set up in Iran or in Italy", said Rossi.

The opening ceremony was followed by a seminar at which the co-directors of the Italian-Iranian joint archaeological missions presented their scientific findings and outlined future cooperation projects, according to the statement.

ISMEO, The National Museum of Iran and the Iranian Research Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism are jointly curating the exhibition.