Regular Meeting of CIS Member States Tourism Council Held in Yerevan

On October 1, a regular meeting of the CIS Member States Tourism Council took place in Yerevan. This information was provided by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia.

Representatives from the tourism authorities of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, as well as members of the CIS Executive and Tourism Councils, arrived in Armenia to participate in the meeting.

Welcoming remarks were made by Acting Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, Arthur Khachatryan, and Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Council, Beketжан Жумаханov.

Arthur Khachatryan emphasized the importance of cooperation within the framework of the CIS Tourism Council. He noted that Armenia actively collaborates with both individual countries and international organizations. “The CIS countries are united by a common history, culture, values, and traditions. All of these are significant factors that can contribute to the creation of a unified tourism product and increase tourist flows in our countries. The need for a united tourist area based on existing historical, cultural, and economic ties is growing. Implementing coordinated actions by the state bodies of the CIS can positively affect the intensification of integration processes. The development of tourism between our countries is very relevant, as it is the most effective means of strengthening intercultural dialogue and friendship among our peoples,” stated Khachatryan, expressing gratitude to the Executive Council for all efforts aimed at strengthening cooperation between the CIS member states. He also expressed hope that more active collaboration in the tourism sector and the clarification of cooperation directions would contribute to solving common tourism issues and developing the sector.

Beketжан Жумаханov, in his welcoming speech, noted that the meeting in Yerevan is the first after a long period of remote communication and emphasized that, despite the obstacles caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Executive Council of Tourism of the CIS member states has done significant work towards the formation of new long-term documents. “By the initiative of the Council of the Governments of the CIS member states, the strategy for the development of cooperation in the tourism sector for 2021-2030 was approved in May 2020. It is pleasing to note that the Council has approached its anniversary - the 30th anniversary of the CIS formation - with such impressive results of work,” remarked Beketжан Жумаханov.

During the meeting, Armenia's tourist potential was presented, including prospects for wine production development, state policies in the tourism sector, and ongoing measures. Several agenda items were discussed, particularly the work of the CIS Member States Tourism Council's working group responding to existing challenges in the tourism sector, the implementation progress of the action plan for the 2021-2023 cooperation development strategy in the tourism sector among CIS member states, the results of studying the activities of the CIS Tourism Council, as well as issues related to the development of public-private partnerships in the tourism sector.

The countries emphasized the need for joint efforts to restore and reimagine tourism, including developing joint tourism packages, especially in these times. As a result of the meeting, agreements were reached to expand the scope of cooperation and to include the initiatives proposed by the CIS member states.

The role of domestic tourism was highlighted, and various steps taken by several countries regarding the development of agro and eco-tourism were presented. At the end of the meeting, the protocol of the CIS Member States Tourism Council was signed.

The decision to hold the meeting in Armenia was made in 2019 within the framework of the CIS Member States Tourism Council meeting. The leadership of the Council was handed over to Armenia during the last meeting held in 2020.