In the context of our developing relations with Latin American countries, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, H.E. Juan Rebolledo Gout, accompanied by a delegation, visited Turkey between 20-21 June 2000. On 19 June 2000 the second meeting of the regular political consultations was held between the Turkish and Mexican delegations headed by Undersecretary Faruk Loğoğlu and Undersecretary Juan Rebolledo Gout respectively.

Undersecretary Rebolledo, the same day in the afternoon, was received by H.E. Kamran İnan, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the TGNA and H.E. İsmail Cem, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and visited with the Acting Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Mr. Haluk Ayhan. Undersecretary Rebolledo will spend 20 June in Istanbul.

Mexico, covering an area of 2 million km2, with a population of 100 million, a GNP of 500 billion Dollars, and a per-capita income of 5200 dollars and with, total exports of 140 billion&imports of 150 million Dollars and receiving an annual investment of above 10 billion dollars, is a globally important country. Mexico, a member of NAFTA, is an integral part of a rich and big market of 400 million people, with U.S.A and Canada. She has been developing commercial ties with Europe and the EU-Mexican Free Trade Agreement is to enter into force on 1 July 2000. Mexico's influential stand in the Caribbean and Latin American region is also of great importance.

Mexico's NAFTA membership, her Free Trade Agreement with EU and her influential stand in the Region highlight the importance of this friendly country with regard to Turkey's Latin American policy.

In the light of the above criteria, consultations were held in a very productive way with a view to attaining concrete results for the future of the relations between the two countries.