On April 25–26, an Azerbaijani delegation took part in the 6th Meeting of Tourism Ministers and the 8th High-Level Experts Meeting on Tourism of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), held in Erzurum, Türkiye.

Speaking at the Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency Fuad Naghiyev highlighted the strengthening of cooperation between Azerbaijan and ECO in the field of tourism in recent years, as well as various ECO events hosted by Azerbaijan. He also spoke about the plans underway as part of Shusha’s selection as ECO’s tourism capital for 2026.

During the session, a promotional video showcasing Shusha’s tourism potential was presented.

As part of the visit, Fuad Naghiyev held a meeting with Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism.

The two sides discussed potential avenues for strengthening tourism relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, emphasizing the importance of expanding existing flight connections and developing cooperation mechanisms to boost mutual tourist exchanges.

Fuad Naghiyev also extended an official invitation to Minister Ersoy to attend the 71st Session of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe, which will be hosted by Azerbaijan from June 4 to 6 this year.

In addition, a tree-planting campaign was held with the participation of heads of delegation in front of dedicated national stands for each ECO member state.

On April 26, the ECO member state delegations also took part in the opening ceremony and panel sessions of the Palandöken Economic Forum, held under the theme “A Fair Future in a Smart World: Smart Economies and Global Inequality,” which was attended by Türkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States Binali Yıldırım, and several ministers.