Talking to IRNA on the sidelines of the 28th Tehran International Book Fair, he said cultural exchanges between Iran and France could result in consolidation of relations in other areas as well.
Commenting on the designation of a day during the book exhibition after his country, he said the volume of cultural exchanges between the two nations was quite remarkable.
He said that presence of several officials from the French embassy in the Book Fair has indicated that Tehran-Paris relations were even growing.
The French official went on to note that Iran and France enjoyed cooperation in the fields of music, theatre, cinema, visual arts and photography.
During a panel discussion held on Monday, the French participants in 28th Tehran International Book Fair exchanged views with their Iranian hosts and counterparts on bilateral cultural interactions.
Amir-Mas'oud Shahramnia, deputy head of the Tehran International Book Fair for executive affairs, Bertrand Maurice, the head of Paris Book Fair and Viel were the top participants in the discussion.
Each day is named after one of the guest countries in this year's Book Fair, Shahramnia said.
He also expressed hope that Monsieur Maurice's presence in Tehran will mark the beginning of interactions between Iranian and French publishing companies and cultural institutes.
Meanwhile, Bertrand Maurice expressed pleasure with his presence in the Tehran Book Fairs and noted that Iran is a modern country in terms of advancement.
Maurice also said that he was amazed by the huge number of the Iranians visiting the book fair. This is five times more than visitors of the French Book Fair, he added.
Maurice noted that one of the reasons for his visit to Iran is surveying the status of Copyright in this country.
He expressed confidence that Iran would accept the Copyright. However, the French official reiterated that more works remain to be done in the field.
Veil, too, appreciated efforts made by the Iranian hosts, including for naming of a day after France in the fair. He allocated the main axis of his talks to the historical relations between Paris and Tehran.
He stressed that both countries have ancient histories and civilizations and that historical commonalty is a good platform for their present day's broad archeological cooperation.
The French cultural attaché also informed the audience that the fist diplomatic correspondence between Iran and France dates back to 1930s. He added that Tehran-Paris ties are based on mutual respect and ancient civilizations of the two nations.
He also praised the recent comments by the Iranian ambassador to France as a sign of cultural and intellectual relations between the two nations.
The 28th Tehran International Book Fair opened on Tuesday, May 5, in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani, Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Ali Jannati, a group of Iranian cultural and artistic affairs officials, representatives of people in the Iranian Parliament and a large group of other Iranian and foreign guests.
The international fair whose motto this year is ''Conversing with the World' will end on Saturday May 16 marking the auspicious birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
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