The city authorities of the former Armenian city Kars, currently located in Turkey, are glad to cooperate with the Armenian and Russian tour operators, Armenian Tourism Institute President Robert Minasyan told Armenian News – NEWS.am, commenting on the Armenian and Russian tourist specialists’ visit to Turkey’s Kars and Sarıkamış cities.

The visit resulted in preparing a book on Armenian and Russian cultural heritage in Kars district. The presentation of the book - published in Russian - will take place in Yerevan,

The book describes numerous Armenian monuments, including Holy Apostles Church, one of the oldest symbols of the city. Apart from this, the it also tells about the Russian presence in detail, referring to the Alexander Nevsvky regimental church, turned into  mosque (the same way as Holy Apostles Church).

The group also visited Sarıkamış city, where it viewed the hunting lodge built for Nicholas II of Russia.

The Armenian and Russian guests were received by Kars Deputy Mayor. “We took a photo by his desk, where he had placed Armenia’s map as well as Armenian and Russian flags next to the Turkish one. This photo entered the Turkish press as well,” Minasyan said.

The book also presents detailed recommendations on preparing travel itineraries to Kars district. “We will discuss the possibilities of joint tours to Armenia and Turkey in cooperation with the Russian tourism industry. We want to propose a program including 5 days in Armenia and 5 in Turkey. The trip to Armenia will include one day in Armenian city Gyumri,” Robert Minasyan said.

The book authors got a citation from the Russian president administration.