BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28. The 11th Conference of Ministers of Tourism of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has completed its work in Baku. The conference, organized by the State Agency for Tourism, adopted a resolution on the development of tourism and the Baku Declaration, Trend reports.
The document titled "Resolution on the development of tourism" condemns the illegal exploitation of natural resources, the destruction of ecosystems and urban infrastructure, cultural and historical heritage in the territories of Azerbaijan under Armenian occupation, as well as the destruction of Islamic cultural and historical monuments in the territory of Armenia.
The resolution also reflects a decision regarding the possibilities of involving the private sector of the Member States in the implementation of infrastructure development projects in the lands liberated from occupation of Azerbaijan.
The document "Baku Declaration" reflects such issues as the development of health, ecological, cultural and rural tourism between member countries on the basis of mutual interests, support for joint initiatives, cooperation in participation in exhibitions, implementation of joint activities aimed at developing sustainable tourism, protection and promotion of Islamic cultural and historical heritage, the role of tourism in improving the understanding of Islam, etc.
At the conference, it was decided to hold the next meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of the OIC countries in Morocco. Also, the Turkish city of Sanliurfa was elected the capital of the Islamic world for 2023, and the Uzbek city of Khiva was elected the capital of the Islamic world for 2024.
The conference was attended by more than 160 representatives from 39 countries, including ministers and deputy ministers of tourism of the member states of the organization, ambassadors, representatives of international organizations, government officials and experts. On June 29, a trip of the conference participants to Shusha is planned.