Agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism
Mr. Strashko, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Radko, Head of Rostourism, dear guests.
I would like to begin by extending my warmest thanks to our hosts for the generous hospitality they are showing us today in these lovely surroundings. It was an excellent idea to meet in this beautiful book room today, as I think few things connect our two countries more firmly than our love for books.
On this, my first visit to Moscow an beautiful city – Kremlin. I will certainly encourage anyone and everyone to come here and enjoy this lovely city. I hope to come again.
It is undeniably an important occasion for Iceland and The Russian Federation alike, both of which have long been interested in concluding an agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism. The day has finally arrived, and I welcome this milestone most sincerely.
The agreement we will sign today expresses the desire to strengthen the friendly relations between the peoples of the Russian Federation and Iceland and to promote better knowledge of the history and cultural heritage of both countries.
In its purest form, tourism can generate mutual understanding and foster friendly relations between peoples. This is why it is important that tourists enjoy culture as well as nature. Here in Russia, there is plenty to sample, as many of the finest authors in literary history have written in your beautiful language, and few countries have produced as many composers who have made their mark on music history. Icelandic culture is different in many respects, but it is remarkable nonetheless, and we are proud of it. Russia is huge and
well-populated; Iceland is small and sparsely populated. The fact that we are dissimilar makes it more important that we communicate and collaborate, and one of the best ways to do that is to promote travel between our two countries. Join hands and get to know one another! And I am convinced that the agreement we sign today will contribute to this. Dispite these dissimialities, we have similar circumstances, geothermal and Nordic regions.
The purpose of the agreement is multi-faceted, but its main focus is to assist our national tourism authorities in establishing contacts and developing cooperation between Icelandic and Russian tourism organizations participating in the promotion of international tourism, including those investing in the tourism sector.
Together, we will try in every way possible to simplify the formalities related to tourist exchange between the two countries and coordinate the cooperation between Russian and Icelandic national tourism authorities, within the framework of international tourism-related organizations.
Another benefit we will derive from today's agreement is the establishment of contacts and the development of cooperation in personnel training for the tourist industry, as well as in the exchange of experts and journalists specializing in tourism.
Good friends and honoured guests: In closing, I would like to thank Rostourism, the Russian ambassador to Iceland, and the Icelandic ambassador here in Moscow for the efforts that have made this agreement a reality. And once again, thank you for your hospitality during my stay here in Moscow.