Tabriz can turn into region tourism hub:ECO secretary-gneral

'Given the strong religious and historical bonds between Iran and the Caucasian regions as well as Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan, development in tourism ties between Tabriz and the region through advertisement and means of introducing its attractions can take place in near future,' ECO Secretary General Halil Ibrahim Akca told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Friday.

Tabriz is the capital of the northwestern Iranian Province of Eastern Azerbaijan.

'Pursuing the goal, the authorities of Tabriz can take various incentive-based approaches,' he suggested.

He also congratulated the event known as Tabriz-2018 to the people of the city, expressing hope that the event becomes an opportunity for flourishing the tourism industry in the city.

The official opening ceremony of Tabriz-2018, attended by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, a number of ministers and local officials, as well as some 60 political and tourism representatives from various countries, was held on Wednesday.

The secretary general also said that ECO is seriously pursuing tourism, adding that the main goal of the organization is developing the industry in the 10 member states.

'Tabriz is defined as one of the tourism destinations on ECO's agenda,' he said.

The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental organization which was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. Currently, 10 countries-- Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Iran are the members of ECO.

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