Armenian and Turkish entrepreneurs ready to found Association of Tourist Companies

Today, after a meeting of Armenian and Turkish entrepreneurs, which was held in Yerevan within the programme "Promoting Advancement of Armenian-Turkish Relations", a memorandum of understanding in the sphere of tourism was signed. The memorandum aims to create the Association of Armenian and Turkish Tourist Companies.

The meeting was attended by entrepreneurs from the Turkish city of Van; the Armenian party was represented by the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (UIE) of Armenia.

The businessmen discussed a possibility of opening a new flight Yerevan-Van in addition to the existing flights between Yerevan and Istanbul. "The direct flights from Yerevan to Van will bring Armenia and Turkey still closer in the literal and figurative sense," said Arsen Gazaryan, Chairman of the UIE of Armenia.

According to Abdullah Tyundjemir, a board member of the Van City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the of the office of the "Tursab" Tourist Company, the launch of this flight will contribute to development of business ties between the two countries. "If everything goes as planned, already on September 11 we'll make the first flight to start regular air communication between Yerevan and Van," said Mr Tyundjemir.

The meeting was attended by about 30 entrepreneurs from the city of Van.

The programme "Promoting Advancement of Armenian-Turkish Relations" is financially supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Fund "Eurasia".