A presentation of the Tour A Vent travel agency took place today in Moscow, which is to carry out functions of representation at the Russian Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan. The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic in the Russian Federation.
Opening the presentation, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Moscow Polad Bulbuloglu noted the importance of this agency. "We are not strangers to each other. Our mentality and friendly relations give us reasons to be closer and visit our countries more often. It's a new direction, which is important not only for its economic component, but due to the fact that it leads to friendly relations, the so-called friendship of peoples. Tourism helps to bring people together," a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza cites him as saying.
The diplomat also spoke about the variety of sights that tourists can see in the republic. "We have a wonderful sea, beautiful sandy beaches, beautiful ski resorts. We have special tours that give an opportunity for hunting. But the most important thing is that Azerbaijan is famous for its cuisine. This is a phenomenon of global significance,'' the Ambassador reminded.
"President Ilham Aliyev attaches great importance to tourism. Not due to today's situation, when some countries closed for tourism. We should be friends in order not to be against anyone, but by themselves. Today we have a representative Russian delegation even from Ulyanovsk. Russia is a big country and each region has its own characteristics," Bulbuloglu said.
"We also opened such agencies in several other countries. These are opportunities that should be used. I would like to invite everybody to Azerbaijan. I assure you that you will come back very happy," he concluded.
Vugar Shikhmammad, who represented the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan at the presentation, thanked all the participants for their interest in this event.
"Russia is one of the main 'suppliers' of tourists to Azerbaijan (more than 30%). The Ministry regularly holds events to establish tourism cooperation and organize farm-trips, conferences and seminars. We are interested in working in the Russian market. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has taken the decision to open the tourist center. Tour a Vent will perform the functions of a representative. We are optimistic about our future,'' he said.
The head of the corresponding department of Tourism, Leila Verdiyeva, stressed that "Azerbaijan is at a crossroads of cultures, it is both under the influence of the East and the West, and the architecture of Baku underlines this fact."
"Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions interact among each other. Promoting the idea of intercultural dialogue is one of the most important goals. UNESCO, ISESCO and the Council of Europe are partners of Azerbaijan in this sphere," she said.
Leila Verdiyeva also reminded about the upcoming 7th Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Baku.
