site.btaTourism Minister, Albania's Ambassador to Bulgaria Discuss Bilateral Cooperation

Caretaker Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Albania to the Republic of Bulgaria, Inid Milo, met here to discuss cooperation between their two countries, Miloshev's Ministry reported on Thursday.

During the meeting, the Minister said: "Tourism is the best diplomacy, because it is always associated with positive emotions and good memories. We are extremely impressed by what Albania has achieved in the field of tourism."

Milo said her job was to build bridges, which is why she was happy that Bulgaria and Albania have a relationship built on friendship and mutual respect. She briefed Miloshev on her country's work on establishing a Bulgarian-Albanian chamber of commerce, as such an organization would create excellent conditions for sharing best practices in the fields of tourism, economy and culture.

Miloshev noted that a direct flight between Sofia and Tirana would facilitate tourism between the two countries and added: "We cannot be that close and have to make connections in Vienna or even farther away."

Opportunities for cooperation and participation in joint projects between Bulgaria and Albania in the field of maritime and cultural-historical tourism were also in the meeting agenda. Prof. Rumen Draganov, advisor to the Minister of Tourism, said: "We are willing to continue working on the creation of a common integrated tourism product, which will be intended for the overseas markets - the US, Canada, Australia. Next year, our country will take part in the international tourism exhibition in Japan, and we could cooperate, because we have a common product - our historical and archaeological base."