A meeting on the development of bilateral cooperation with the Republic of Turkey in the field of tourism was held on April 22 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The discussion gathered together Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko, Deputy Minister of Health - Chief State Sanitary Doctor Viktor Liashko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Turkey Andrii Sybiha, Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine Maryana Oleskiv, representatives of the Ministry Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and others.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to work out ways to intensify mutually beneficial cooperation with Turkey in the field of tourism, in particular, to expand the sea and air communication.

"Ukrainians enter the list of the most numerous tourists in Turkey, and the geography of their vacation is constantly expanding. Therefore, we should consider the possibility of enlarging the connection, in particular organizing additional flights to popular routes for the weekend, as well as opening communication with new cities," stressed Denys Shmyhal.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister stressed it crucial to develop favorable conditions for attracting tourists from the Republic of Turkey to Ukraine.

"Apart from big cities, it is worth considering the possibility of developing destinations for sanatoriums that will be interesting for the family travels," said the Prime Minister.

For his part, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Turkey Andrii Sybiha added that tourists from Turkey may be interested in prominent Ukrainian cities: Kamyanets-Podilsky, Khotyn, etc.

The participants also considered the possibility of mutual recognition between Ukraine and Turkey of future health certificates being developed in the European Union. According to the Prime Minister, this will help significantly increase the flow of tourists between countries during the pandemic.

Following the meeting, Denys Shmyhal instructed the relevant agencies to study the possibility of increasing regular and charter flights between Ukraine and Turkey and consider ways to simplify the system of visiting Ukraine by vaccinated Turkish citizens.