TEHRAN – Iran and Belarus are moving to strengthen tourism cooperation, with direct flights between Tehran and Minsk set to be launched after Belarus granted the necessary aviation approvals, officials from both countries said at a meeting in Tehran.

The meeting, attended by Belarusian Ambassador Dmitry Koltsov, officials from Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, the Foreign Ministry, members of parliament, representatives of the Iran Chamber of Commerce and tourism industry stakeholders, focused on expanding tourism links and removing barriers to travel between the two countries, ILNA reported on Monday.

Participants said the lack of direct flights, limited awareness of each country's tourism attractions and weak links between tourism businesses have been the main obstacles to increasing travel between Iran and Belarus.

A tourism cooperation memorandum signed by the presidents of Iran and Belarus had already established a framework for bilateral cooperation, but the absence of direct air services had remained the main challenge, the report said.

Moslem Shojaei, director general of the Office of Marketing and Foreign Tourism Development at Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, said Iran views tourism as an instrument of international diplomacy and that expanding tourism relations with Belarus should be driven by the private sector with government support.

Shojaei said Belarus is one of Iran's target tourism markets and noted that Iran removed visa requirements for Belarusian citizens in 2023, allowing them to travel to Iran without visas.

He proposed establishing a joint technical tourism committee and encouraged Belarusian tourism companies to participate in tourism exhibitions in Iran, including an international gathering of tour operators scheduled to be held in the country in the coming months.

Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi, head of the tourism commission at the Iran Chamber of Commerce, said both countries have significant potential for cooperation in tourism, trade, agriculture and industry, but that direct flights and stronger institutional links are needed to unlock those opportunities.

He said tourism could contribute to broader trade, economic and investment relations and called for greater attention to tourism during bilateral economic negotiations. Mousavi also said the absence of a joint Iran-Belarus chamber of commerce has limited cooperation between businesses, investors and tourism operators.

Belarusian Ambassador Dmitry Koltsov, for his part, said Belarus's national aviation authority had issued all required approvals for direct flights after a trial service operated by Iran's Mahan Air two years ago.

Iranian airlines can launch this service, Koltsov said.

He said a tourism cooperation memorandum signed during the Iranian president's visit to Minsk is being implemented by relevant authorities to establish the necessary infrastructure for expanding tourism.

Koltsov said Iran and Belarus already cooperate in trade, industry and healthcare, adding that tourism could become another pillar of bilateral relations. He also called for stronger cooperation between tourism agencies and invited Iranian tour operators to participate in Belarus's tourism exhibition scheduled for next spring.

AM