Portuguese envoy praises Turkey's COVID-19 measures

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA (AA) - The Portuguese ambassador to Turkey on Thursday expressed her satisfaction at the steps the Turkish government was taking to promote safe tourism amid the pandemic.

Paula Leal Da Silva praised Turkey's safe tourism certificate program after a meeting held in the country's Mediterranean resort town of Antalya.

“We had the opportunity to see the measures taken at the airport with a view to ensure the necessary sanitary conditions for all the tourists who, hopefully, will soon resume their trips to Turkey,” she said.

Turkey issued a safety certificate to hotels and restaurants who were complying by safety measures and regulations, a move the ambassador praised.

“The initiative, by the Turkish government, to issue a safety certificate to the institutions, namely restaurants and hotels who, on a voluntary basis, follow and adopt all the right procedures regarding safety and prevention of COVID 19 is a very suitable one,” Silva said.

She also shared fond memories of Antalya.

“There is the charm of Antalya -- a prominent characteristic of Turkey -- binding the ancient and the modern, the civilization’s roots and the blue sea, as this is a nation where all the beauties, nature and history, coexist. A wonder for the eyes, a prodigy for the imagination."

Silva, among other ambassadors, attended the Ambassadors’ Antalya Program on 19-21 June 2020, organized by Turkey's Foreign and Culture Ministries.