BAKU DECLARATION OF 5TH SESSION OF THE ICTM CONDEMNS DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF ISLAMIC MONUMENTS BY ARMENIA
APA
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
12 Sep 2006
The fifth session of the Islamic Conference Tourism Ministers has
come to an end today. Baku Declaration and Resolution was adopted at
the end of the Session, APA reports.
The Deceleration reflects reaffirmation of previous conferences and
meetings, being committed to policy of openness and close cooperation
with the world’s relevant international organizations operating in
the field of tourism and cultural exchanges such as UNWTO and UNESCO,
reiteration of Islam as a religion of Pease and advocating principles
of appreciation of human values, tolerance with regard to religion
and races and peaceful coexistence of all nations, the vital role of
diplomacy in the development of tourism.
The Declaration reads that terrorism, conflicts, territorial
occupation, natural disasters, epidemics and economic crises
seriously harm the economic development and negatively affect
the tourism potential of the Member States. It also says that the
important role of tourism for intercultural exchanges, preservation and
popularization of Islamic historical and cultural heritage, promotion
of better knowledge and mutual understanding among civilizations
as well as the role of the tourism can play in overall improvement
of the image of Islam. In the Declaration it was decided to join
efforts toward increasing the tourism flow among the Member States,
create favourable climate for investment projects in the sector
of tourism and related activities, urge member States to actively
participate in tourism fairs in OIC countries, promote youth tourism,
develop tourism in costal and rural types of tourism, simplification
of visa issuance procedures with non-OIC countries, condemn any
manifestation of terrorism and aggressive separatism and stress the
importance of expeditious solution of conflicts, all of which have
detrimental impact on tourism and on the exercise of peoples’ right for
leisure and travel, strong condemn the illegal exploitation of natual
resources and the destruction of cultural and historical monuments
in the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia as well as the
deliberate destruction of Islamic cultural and historic monuments in
the territory of Armenia in accordance with the norms and principles
of international law, particularly those related to the territorial
integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of
a state.
The other adopted document- a resolution endorses the efforts of
ICCI aimed at encouraging the private sector to play its due role in
promoting tourism and takes note of the initiative of ICCI to establish
an International Tourism Company, adaptation of open visa for the
movement of businessmen among the OIC member states, facilitating
of the movement of media people among the movement States in order
to utilize the media to serve the purposes of tourism, promote youth
tourism in OIC countries, condemn Israeli aggression.
The Declaration expresses gratitude to Mr. Ilham Aliyev for kindly
patronizing the Conference and for his guidance-giving speech he
delivered at the opening ceremony as well as thanks to the government
and the people of Azerbaijan for the warm welcome and generous
hospitality extended to the delegations.