UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has said that the organization will include more Afghan monuments in its world cultural heritage list - monuments that include Band-e-Amir of Bamiyan, Bagh-e-Babur of Kabul (The Babur Gardens), Balkh District and Herat City.

Speaking at gathering in Malaka Palace at Babur Gardens in Kabul, the Afghan and UNESCO officials called for more work to be done to renovate and protect Afghan cultural and historical monuments.

The gathering was also attended by various Afghan officials including the Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, foreign diplomats in Kabul and UNESCO director general.

"We have seen that the extremists seek to destroy culture and say that culture diversity is a threat, we must respond even with more culture, we must respond with more knowledge, we must educate our young people that diversity is an advantage," she said.

In addition, Bokova said that the heritage sites are not supposed to be only woods and stones, but they have a message to our next generation and that these heritage sites teach us the culture of tolerance and patience.

President Ashraf Ghani has also urged for more cooperation between the Afghan government and UNESCO to protect nation's cultural heritage and boost tourism sector.

"Culture guarantees economic development and prosperity, stability in Afghanistan can attract a lot of tourists. I appreciate UNESCO's cooperation with Afghanistan in all sectors particularly in education sphere" Ghani said.

"We sustain major losses from the smuggling of cultural relics. In today's world, culture and economy are interrelated. Our main priority is to revive Afghanistan's old and historical mosques," Ghani said.

Meanwhile, Abdullah pledged that the national unity government is determined to take measures to protect the cultural heritage sites in the country.

"That gives the other face of Afghanistan while the news about Afghanistan is unfortunately mainly about the security incidents and things which are happening which are making news, worldwide at the same time a lot more happening in this country. Millions of young people are getting an education and they think how to make their country civilized and developed," Abdullah said.

In joint cooperation, NATO and UNESCO have photographed Afghanistan's cultural sites, and said that some of these sites are in areas under the control of militants and are at risk.

Afghanistan in terms of culture and civilization is among the top nations of the region and the revival of the nation's cultural heritage sites could attract billions of dollars in revenue from the tourism sector.

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