Mountaineers and guides have publicly appealed to the authorities of Turkey with a demand to open access to Mount Ararat for climbing and tourism, Rusarminfo reports citing the Turkish edition of Sozcu.
"Mount Ararat has been closed to tourists for more than two years. Foreigners staying in Turkey especially in summer and fall want to climb the mountain from Bayazid and Igdir," the letter says.
The area of Mount Ararat and surrounding areas were declared "special security zones" in August 2015 in connection with military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
According to the Turkish newspaper, there are currently military detachments of the PKK at some parts of Ararat, and operations are regularly carried out by the Turkish army to neutralize them.
