Kathmandu February 12.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai attended the opening ceremony of International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) in Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday morning. Minister Bhattarai is in Israel at the invitation of Tourism Minister of the State of Israel Yariv Levin. He took part in the breakfast meeting with high-level dignitaries from all around the world followed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony of IMTM. The Minister Visited stalls showcased by Nepal Tourism Board and other Nepali private tourism companies along with that of other nationals in the expo, the Embassy of Nepal in Tel Aviv stated in a press release. After a short tour in IMTM exhibition, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had a private meeting with his Israeli counterpart. During the meeting, two ministers discussed the matters of cooperation in the field of tourism and civil aviation. Both the Ministers agreed to search for all possible avenues of operating direct flights between the two countries. Israeli Tourism Minister thanked Minister Bhattarai for accepting his invitation to participate in the Expo. He also appreciated the initiatives of the Government of Nepal for Visit Nepal Year 2020 and wished the best for its success. Minister also had a meeting with Minister of Agriculture of the State of Israel Mr Tzachi Hanegbi in Jerusalem. Minister Bhattarai requested the Israeli side to boost up the ongoing process of establishing Agricultural Centres of Excellence in Nepal. He also admired the “Learn and Earn” Project run by Israeli Government and requested to extend the time of the course for best performers to develop them as agricultural experts. Minister Bhattarai welcomed both the Israeli Ministers in Nepal in course of VNY 2020. In the evening, Minister had a discussion with the Nepali community in Israel followed by a dinner hosted by Ms Nurit Koren, Member of Knesset in his honor. In both of the meetings, Dr Anjan Shakya, Ambassador of Nepal and Ms Nurit Koren, Member of Knesset (parliament of Israel) were also present among others.