TEHRAN — South Korean Ambassador to Iran Kim Jun-pyo visited Western Azarbaijan to discuss ways to expand cultural and tourism ties with northwestern Iran.
Iran’s West Azerbaijan province has welcomed South Korean investors and expressed readiness to expand cultural and tourism activities with South Korea, officials said after a recent diplomatic meeting.
IRIB news agency reported on Friday that the South Korean envoy met with Morteza Safari Director of Western Azarbaijan’s Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in Urmia.
The news agency added that the meeting was also attended by Qassem Karimi, president of the Urmia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a representative of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Safari highlighted the province’s unique potential in tourism, history and natural attractions and underlined its readiness to organize high-profile tours for Korean travel companies.
He also announced that the province is open to Korean investment in the tourism sector and presented the ambassador with the English version of the book “Investment Opportunities in the Tourism Sector of West Azarbaijan”, which outlines 104 tourism opportunities. In addition, the Ambassador received a copy of “Western Azarbaijan: Gallery of History and Nature”.
Ambassador Kim expressed interest in strengthening cooperation with West Azarbaijan in various fields, especially in the field of tourism.
West Azarbaijan borders Türkiye, Iraq, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Iranian provinces of East Azarbaijan, Zanjan, and Kordestan. It is separated from Armenia by a short border with Türkiye and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The area of the province is 39,487 km2, or 43,660 km2 including Lake Urmia.
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