ISTANBUL
Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik on Tuesday attended a lunch hosted in honor of UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova at Istanbul's Feriye Restaurant.
Speaking at the lunch, Celik said that he thanked UNESCO for approaching a great pain in the region with high sensitivity.
UNESCO's sensitivity is a special one to protect cultural heritage in Syria and to attract attention to the humanitarian tragedy there, Celik underlined.
Bokova, in her part, said that Istanbul was a crucial city connecting the east with the west.
We are in a location highly meaningful for inter-cultural dialogue, Bokova also said.
Bokova arrived in Turkey as part of the International Jazz Festival.