Yazd launches a set of initiatives with its twin cities in Central Asia, China, Iraq, the Caucasus, and Turkey to strengthen tourism, economic ties, and urban diplomacy.
The historic world city of Yazd is stepping up its international outreach through an expanded cooperation program with its twin cities, focusing on tourism, industry, and trade.
Bibi Fatemeh Haqir al-Sadat, Head of the Tourism and International Relations Committee of Yazd, announced that a structured plan has been set in motion to activate and deepen ties with partner cities, following a coordination meeting with the provincial tourism development official and the International Relations Office of Yazd Municipality.
As part of these efforts, a delegation of tourism, industrial, and commercial stakeholders from Yazd will take part in the Tourism Exhibition in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 27 to 29 November. The participation aims to strengthen scientific, cultural, and economic connections with regional countries, especially given that the city of Khiva in Uzbekistan is officially twinned with Yazd.
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Haqir al-Sadat added that a cultural, tourism, and business tour from Yazd to Turpan in China has been designed, based on a recently signed memorandum of understanding between the two cities. The program includes visits to industrial projects, water management and solar power facilities, alongside key tourist attractions, highlighting similarities in climate and geography between Yazd and Turpan within the broader framework of Iran–China cooperation.
She also noted that a land trip from Yazd to Al-Diwaniyah in Iraq is under consideration, with the support of Yazd Municipality and using new municipal buses, as part of plans to enhance industrial and commercial tourism between the two cities.
Looking ahead, Haqir al-Sadat indicated that, subject to conditions, a broader overland route is being studied for March–April 2026, covering Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia. The proposed itinerary would include visits to twin cities Gyumri (Armenia) and Poti (Georgia), as well as Van and Trabzon in Turkey, via the Iranian port city of Anzali, which is considered an internal twin city to Yazd.
She stressed that these initiatives are intended to reinforce Yazd’s role in cultural, tourism, and economic exchanges, and to utilize twin-city partnerships as a practical tool for advancing urban diplomacy and regional cooperation.