Hamedan's Mayor Abbas Soufi says talks are underway with Switzerland's envoys to develop cooperation with the European country on promoting the tourism attractions of the historical city overseas.
"Switzerland is one of the countries targeted for cooperation to boost inbound tourism and investment and, in the same vein, Hamedan's City Council and Municipality have opened negotiations with Swiss Ambassador [Markus Leitner]," Soufi was quoted by IRNA as saying.
Swiss officials, in a recent bilateral meeting, stressed their side's interest in helping turn Hamedan into a popular tourism destination for Swiss and other European visitors, the mayor said. "The meeting was used to introduce Hamedan's tourist attractions and handicrafts and explore potential areas of cooperation."
Soufi added that the two sides discussed arrangements to hold the Hamedan Cultural Week in the Central European country, forge bonds of sisterhood between Hamedan and a Swiss city, build bilateral academic relations and transfer Switzerland's technical experiences in civic and crisis management.
Hamedan is the provincial capital of a western province of the same name.
Home to around 1,800 historical sites, Hamedan Province is known as the center of ancient Iranian history and civilization.
Ganjnameh (an ancient inscription), tombs of famous figures such as Avicenna and Baba Taher, ancient bath-houses, caravansaries, historical houses and churches are among the attractions of the province. Hamedan has been designated to host the United Nations World Tourism Organization's 40th Plenary Session of the Affiliated members, scheduled for mid-November. It is the first time the prestigious annual tourism event is held in an Iranian city.