Why Iranians and Americans are friends beyond political conflicts

Why Iranians and Americans are friends beyond conflicts
Iran USA Tourism
Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

For the last twenty years, eTurboNews established a global network of eTN ambassadors. This network may be a good reason, why this publication is successful and has active readers in more than 200 countries in the world.

When trying to understand how people in the world of travel and tourism think and work,ย  eTN ambassadors always had an important role to relate the state of mind from their region.

With the unfolding and the dangerous situation between the United States and Iran, this message from the eTN ambassador in Teheran speaks volumes. This gives the question eTN received in the 2008 new meeting when the eTN publisher was asked in Iran by an Iranian: Do you think I am a terrorist?ย 

Why Iranians and Americans are friends beyond conflicts

eTN Publisher speaks at the Islamic Hall of the People in Teheran in 2008. Sitting next to him is Louis D’Amore founder and president of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism

The letter received from Teheran today:

Iranian people like American people are friends and nothing will change their minds.
People in the United States are respectable people, and so are we here in Iran.
The dispute is between our Governments. It’s not a dispute between our people.

As you know, tourism is the key to permanent peace and relations between both of our governments.

But we have obstacles in this way. Iranians have much in common with Americans. We have emotions, we have feeling of love, we love our families, we have respect for guests, respect for friendship and so much that combines us.
I have been an ambassador of eTN for almost 20 years, and my friendship with you is a long friendship. It’s a good example of the depth of cultural commonality.

The doors for our people to visit each other to be open is important.

I think no accident can stop the deep friendships shared between so many of our Iranian and U.S. people.
All people in our industry must strive to remove such obstacles.

I cannot comment on the political situation, and we should not enter this conflict.
However I like my friends at eTN and the American People, and nothing will ever change my mind.

Your brother Hamidreza.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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