Kerala, Czech Republic to join hands in tourism & ayurveda

: Kerala will soon join hands with the Czech Republic in the areas of tourism and ayurveda.

The Central European country expressed interest to collaborate with the state after a meeting between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Czech Ambassador to India Milan Hovorka here, the CM's office said here today.

Besides Hovorka, parliamentary deputy speaker Radek Vondr cek and parliamentary healthcare committee Chairman Rostislav were among the 10-member delegation from the Czech who called on the chief minister at his chamber.

To boost the cooperation, the second visa office of the Czech Republic in the state would be opened here, Hovorka said here later.

A visa office of the country is already functioning in the state in Kochi and with the opening of the new centre here, Kerala would be the first Indian state to have two such facilities, he said.

Pinarayi Vijayan said both Kerala and Czech Republic are known for its scenic beauty and could explore the possibilities of cooperation in several areas.

"Like information technology, Kerala is interested in collaborating with the Czech Republic in the area of environment-friendly industries also. Let's have cooperation in terms of renewable energy like solar power," he said.

The chief minister also thanked the Czech authorities for their decision to open the visa office in the state capital.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)