TEHRAN - Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has been invited to attend a conference of ECO member states to be held in Ardabil, northwest Iran.

The invitation was made by Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh, Tehran’s new ambassador to Ankara who along with Nuri Ersoy discussed ways to widen cultural and tourism ties between the two neighboring countries, the Young Journalists Club reported on Saturday.

Production of joint cinematographic works, holding annual national and provincial cultural programs, tourism issues, as well as signing cultural exchange documents between Iran and Turkey were among the other topics discussed in this meeting, the report said.

Ardabil serves as the 2023 cultural capital of the Economic Cooperation Organization. The ancient city is to host the 5th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Tourism, a key event for the tourism development and prosperity of the member countries.

Iran’s tourism minister, Ezzatollah Zarghami, has said that the “Ardabil 2023” would be a great opportunity to promote the province on an international scale. Ardabil is rich in cultural heritage and tourism, but suffers from a lack of investment and infrastructure, he added.

According to Ardabil’s tourism directorate, the designation offers the chance to create wealth for the local communities and businesses. “Residents of the province should be able to benefit from the outcome of this event by creating jobs and wealth.”

Sprawling on a high, windswept plateau, Ardabil is well known for having abundant natural beauty, hospitable people, and its silk and carpet trade tradition. It is also home to the UNESCO-registered Sheikh Safi al-Din Khanegah and the Shrine Ensemble.

ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization encompassing countries from Europe, Caucuses and Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia with more than 460 million inhabitants and over 8 million square kilometers connecting Russia to the Persian Gulf and China to Europe. According to the organization, its overall objective is to materialize the sustainable economic development of its member states and the region as a whole.

AFM