Polish Film Week postponed in Iran

The decision has been made by the Iranian culture ministry in response to last week’s announcement that Poland and the United States are jointly organising an international conference on the Middle East whose agenda includes policies vis-à-vis Iran.

Hossein Entezami, head of Iran’s Cinema organisation, has written on Twitter that his country during World War II “received with open arms representatives of various nations and ethnic groups who found themselves in a difficult situation, particularly Poles. However, the guests who do not respect their hosts cannot expect that they would be warmly welcomed.”

He added that, at this point, the holding of a Polish Film Week ”rests on Warsaw’s appropriate behaviour.”

The Polish Film Week in Iran is an annual event that is routinely held at the end of January or the beginning of February. This year it was scheduled to be held in four cities, including Tehran and Isfahan.

Warsaw is due to host the international conference focusing on stability and security in the Middle East on February 13 and 14.

Iranian diplomats have made an official protest with the Polish embassy in Tehran over what they described as an “anti-Iranian meeting.”

Meanwhile, Poland’s foreign minister and presidential aides have said the conference is not directed against Iran, and that its main focus is peace and security in the Middle East.

(mk/gs)