Türkiye’s relations with the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region
date back to the second half of the 19th century. There had been several
waves of migration from the Ottoman Empire to Latin America from the 1860’s
till the end of World War I. Those emigrants, mostly Arabs, were called
"Los Turcos" as they had Ottoman passports. Diplomatic and consular
contacts between the Ottoman Empire and some Latin American countries began
in the same period. Later, Chile was the first country in the region to
recognize the young Republic of Türkiye. First resident embassies in the
region were opened from the 1940’s onward.
Until 1990’s Türkiye's relations with the region had been friendly, but
stagnant. The main reasons behind this stagnation were geographical
distance and differences of foreign policy priorities.
H.E. President Süleyman Demirel’s official visit to Argentina, Brazil and
Chile in April 1995 was the first presidential visit from Türkiye to the LAC
region. H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s LAC tour including Mexico,
Colombia and Cuba in February 2015 became the second presidential visit
after an interval of 20 years. From January 31 to February 4, 2016, H.E.
President Erdoğan made his second tour to the LAC region in a year,
visiting Chile, Peru and Ecuador.
Türkiye’s Opening towards the LAC Region
Over the last twenty years, in line with its multi-dimensional foreign
policy, Türkiye has been pursuing a more active opening policy towards the
region with a view to strengthening its relations with the LAC countries.
In this regard, “Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean” was
developed with the participation of Turkish Ambassadors in Latin America,
Turkish public and private sector representatives and Honorary Consuls of
LAC countries in Türkiye and was put into effect in 1998. The Action Plan
was reviewed in 2006 and the same year was declared as the “Year of Latin
America and the Carribbean” in Türkiye. The said Plan was a roadmap
regarding the opening policy to the region.
Political Relations
Within the framework of Türkiye’s LAC opening policy, Türkiye gives priority
to the exchange of high level visits and meetings in order to strengthen
political relations with countries of the region; concluding trade,
economic, military, cultural and technical cooperation agreements to
solidify the existing legal framework; establishing business councils,
participating in fairs, initiating promotional activities to increase trade
volume; and increasing diplomatic representation in the region and
increasing cultural interaction to ensure better and more accurate
representation.
In line with this policy, reciprocal high level visits between Türkiye and
the LAC region have gained momentum. H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s
LAC tour to Mexico, Colombia and Cuba in February 2015 became the second
Presidential visit after an interval of 20 years. From January 31 to
February 4, 2016, H.E. President Erdoğan made his second tour to the LAC
region in a year and visited Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Foreign Minister H.E.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Argentina, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and
Mexico during the first months of 2017.
In 2011, the President of Brazil H.E. Dilma Roussef and the President of
Argentina H.E. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner; in 2012 the President of
Chile H.E. Sebastian Pinera, the President of Ecuador H.E. Rafael Correa
and President of Colombia H.E. Juan Manuel Santos; in 2013 President of
Mexico H.E. Enrique Pena Nieto; in 2015, on the occasion of G20 Leaders’
Summit President of Mexico H.E. Enrique Pena Nieto and the-then President
of Brazil H.E. Dilma Roussef; in 2016 and 2017 President of Venezuela H.E.
Nicolas Maduro visited Türkiye.
Türkiye’s relations between Brazil and Mexico were elevated to the level of
strategic partnership. To strengthen our relations in every field with
these two countries, in 2006 Türkiye-Brazil High Level Cooperation
Commission and in 2013 Türkiye-Mexico High Level Binational Commission were
established. Legal framework of the relations between Türkiye and the LAC
countries has also been completed to a large extent. Political consultation
mechanisms have been established with 17 LAC countries (Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and
Venezuela).
Economic Relations
With a population of over 629 million people, a GDP of more than 5,3
trillion US Dollars, developing economies such as Brazil and Mexico, rich
natural resources and growing middle-income classes, the LAC region has
increasingly become an area of opportunities. During the last 10 years,
remarkable improvements have been recorded with regard to average per
capita income and living standards. Global economic statistics show that
positive economic growth will be expected for the region in the period
2018-2021, leaving behind the problems such as economic contraction, high
inflation and unemployment rates experienced during the 2014-2016 period.
While Türkiye’s trade volume with region was 3,4 billion US Dollars in 2006,
in 2016 it reached nearly 7 billion US Dollars. In 2017, Türkiye’s trade
volume surpassed 9,2 billion US Dollars. In order to provide reliable and
regular information to the business environment regarding the opportunities
of the region, the number of Turkish commercial offices has also increased.
There are Turkish commercial offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.
In line with the goal of developing our economic and trade relations with
the LAC countries, as envisaged in the Action Plan, Türkiye has signed
Economic and Trade Cooperation Agreements with 19 countries (Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay,
Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela). The Joint Economic Commissions based on these
agreements contribute to enhancing our economic relations with those
countries.
The first Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the region was signed with Chile in
2009 and entered into force on 1 March 2011. Negotiations for an FTA with
Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico and Peru are underway. In addition to the LAC
countries, Türkiye aims at concluding FTAs with important regional
organizations such as CARICOM, MERCOSUR and the Pacific Alliance.
Turkish Airlines (THY), in addition to Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, expanded
its flight network to Bogota, Caracas, Havana and Panama in 2016. THY aims
at further developing its network by direct flights to other cities in the
region or through code-sharing agreements with the important regional
airlines companies. THY flights have had significant contributions to our
relations with the LAC region in many fields such as economy, trade,
tourism and culture.
Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance
Türkiye provides humanitarian, development and technical assistance to the
LAC countries. In this respect, Türkiye has sent humanitarian aid to the
Central American and the Caribbean countries following several hurricanes
and the devastation of major earthquakes.
Türkiye aims at increasing its visibility by providing solidarity with
regional countries through development cooperation and humanitarian aid
carried out by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) offices.
TIKA opened its first regional programme coordination office in Mexico City
in 2015, in Bogota in 2016. TIKA has undertaken more than 127 projects and
activities amounting to nearly 11 million US Dollars in the fields of
Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Emergency and Humanitarian
Assistance, Institutional Capacity Development, Meeting Social Needs,
Contribution to Cultural Life, Transportation, Agriculture and Livestock.
In addition to TIKA projects, Türkiye has contributed to the peace,
stability and prosperity of the LAC region as well. Türkiye has been
providing support to the various dimensions of the peace process between
the Colombian Government and FARC, financial and technical support to
resettlement of the border issue between Belize and Guatemala and personnel
support to the OAS Peace Mission in Colombia (MAPP/OAS). Turkish Security
Officers have been working since 2004 at the UN Stabilization Mission in
Haiti (MINUSTAH) which was established in order to ensure stability and
security in the country and at the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti
(MINUJUSTH) which replaced MINUSTAH as of 15 October 2017.
Cultural and Academic Cooperation
With regard to the cultural and academic dimensions of Türkiye’s LAC opening
policy, preparations have been underway to open Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural
Centres in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. Within the framework of
cooperation between the University of Ankara and the University of Havana,
the Turkish History and Cultural Center was established in Havana in 2013.
Studies regarding the opening of a Department of Turcology in the Central
University of Ecuador in Quito are ongoing. Turkish History and Culture and
Turkish language lessons are given at the National University in Bogotá.
Within the Türkiye Scholarships Program, more than 300 students from the LAC
countries have received scholarships. Anadolu Agency's LAC Office, which
plays an important role in terms of Turkish public diplomacy, was opened in
Bogota in October 2017 and launched its broadcasting language service in
Spanish.
Relations with the Regional Organizations
Türkiye has established institutional ties with a multitude of regional
organizations which provide important platforms for our relations with the
LAC countries. Türkiye became observer member of the Organization of
American States (OAS) in 1998, the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in
2000 and the Pacific Alliance in 2013. In 2010, Political Consultation and
Cooperation Mechanism with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) was
established and two political consultation meetings were held. An MoU
establishing institutional relations with the Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS) was signed on 4 June 2016 on the margins of the 7 th ACS Summit took place in Havana.
Since the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) does not have an observer
membership system, a Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism between Türkiye
and CARICOM was established in 2011. In March 2014, Türkiye participated in
the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines as a special guest. In July 2014, the First Foreign
Ministers Meeting of the Türkiye-CARICOM Consultation and Cooperation
Mechanism took place in İstanbul with the participation of 11 ministers
(Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago) out of 14 members of CARICOM.
Türkiye signed an agreement to become an extra-regional observer state to
the Central American Integration System (SICA) on 13 February 2015 during
the visit of H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to Guatemala on the occasion of the
First Türkiye-SICA Foreign Ministers’ Forum. Türkiye hosted the Second
Türkiye-SICA Foreign Ministers’ Forum which was held in İstanbul on 20 April
2017.
Türkiye also regularly meets with the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC) Quartet at Foreign Ministers level. The first
Türkiye-CELAC Troika (later became Quartet with the participation of the
Term-President of CARICOM) Foreign Ministers Meeting was held in September
2013 on the margins of the 68th UN General Assembly in New York. The second
Türkiye-CELAC Quartet Foreign Ministers Meeting took place in September 2015
on the margins of the 70th UN General Assembly and the third one in
September 2016 on the margins of the 71st UN General Assembly. The fourth
Türkiye-CELAC Quartet (the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador and
Guyana) Foreign Ministers Meeting was held on 21 April 2017 in İstanbul
following the Second Türkiye-SICA Foreign Ministers Forum.
Türkiye applied for membership to the UN Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) during the visit of H.E. President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan to Chile on 1 February 2016. Türkiye’s application was
accepted at the meeting of the Committee of the Whole of ECLAC, which was
held on 30 January 2017. Türkiye’s membership to ECLAC was formally approved
at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting on 25 July 2017 in
New York.
In order to strengthen inter-parliamentary relations, which is an important
dimension of its LAC opening policy, Türkiye aimed at establishing
institutional relationships with parliamentary organizations as well as
national parliaments in the region. In this regard, the Turkish Grand
National Assembly (TBMM) applied for observer status to the Latin American
Parliament (PARLATINO). Türkiye also established contacts with regional
parliaments such as the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the Forum
of Presidents of the Legislative Bodies of Central America and the
Caribbean Basin (FOPREL), the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas
(COPA), the MERCOSUR Parliament (PARLASUR) and the Parliamentarians for the
Americas (ParlAmerica). Initiatives to establish institutional ties with
these parliamentary organizations continue.