[TEHRAN]A joint meeting was held between the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkmenistan and the Deputy Secretary General of the High Council of Free Zones, in which an agreement was reached to develop cultural and tourism exchanges between Free Economic Zones and Special Economic Zones of Iran and Turkmenistan. It was decided to develop a plan to send Turkmen bloggers and influencers to free zones in Iran to introduce tourist attractions of these regions in cyberspace.
It was also decided to review and expand Turkmenistan’s investment development in Iran’s free zones, ISNA reported.
The two countries emphasized their deep historical, civilizational and cultural commonalities, termed the more than 1,000 km border between Iran and Turkmenistan the “border of friendship”, and stressed the need to leverage the capabilities of free economic zones and special economic zones to strengthen mutual relations.
The conference reviewed a series of executive agreements and joint programs between the two parties, some of which are:
– Consider the possibility of establishing direct flights between Turkmenistan and the islands of Kish, Qeshm and Chabahar, with the aim of developing bilateral tourism.
– A visit by the Turkmen ambassador to Chabahar is planned in the near future to consider the possibility of Turkmen investment.
– Sending a Turkmen investment delegation to participate in the construction of a hotel and tourist complex in Iran’s free zones.
– Organize joint tourism events and Iranian cultural nights in Turkmenistan, focusing on the historic Silk Road route and leveraging the presence of free economic zones and special economic zones in the country to showcase the tourism capabilities of free zones in Iran.
– Plan to dispatch Turkmen bloggers and influencers to free zones in Iran to introduce tourist attractions in these regions in cyberspace
– Expand health tourism by sending Turkmen tourists to free zones in Iran to take advantage of the medical and service capabilities of these regions.
In another part of the meeting, Hassan Malek Hosseini, Secretary General of the Incheborn Free Zone, also attended via video conference, highlighting the zone’s role in the geographical and cultural ties between the two countries.
He called for cooperation in developing cultural, economic and tourism relations between Iran and Turkmenistan.
It was also decided that a specialized delegation from Turkmenistan would stay in the Yincheborn Free Zone to explore investment capabilities and joint exchanges.
The Ambassador of Turkmenistan also referred to the statement of Islamic Revolution leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei that “Iran and Turkmenistan are relatives and have many cultural similarities.” He said, “The cultural and historical similarities between the two countries are a solid basis for the development of all-round cooperation, and these relations should be further expanded by implementing joint cultural, tourism, and economic programs.”
In the end, both sides emphasized the continuation of joint meetings and the establishment of an executive working group to follow up on the agreement.
KD