(IRNA) - Visiting Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Koc here Sunday stressed the importance of promoting relations with Iran in various cultural and tourism fields.
Koc, during a meeting with the governor-general of the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan, Mohammad Me'marzadeh, remarked that one million Iranian tourists visited Turkey last year, reports Trend.
He expressed hope more Iranian tourists would visit Turkey in the coming years through enhanced bilateral ties.
He also called on Iran to provide incentives for Turkish tourists to visit Iran.
The Turkish minister noted that East Azarbaijan province and its capital city Tabriz were among the important business and religious centers of Iran.
He noted the rich potential of Iranian cities for boosting tourism with Turkey, and said Tabriz has a special position in this respect.
He also expressed his country's readiness to expand bilateral cooperation in various areas of higher education including exchange of university students.
Koc also called on the two countries to harness the potentials of their smaller cities in the field of tourism.