Turkey and Panama on Thursday signed agreements on economy and tourism, the Turkish foreign minister said, as they sought ways to strengthen bilateral relations.
"We discussed concrete steps regarding our bilateral relations," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a joint press conference along with his Panamanian counterpart Erika Mouynes.
He stressed that Turkey and Panama are important regional centers for trade and logistics. "We agreed to increase our political dialogue as well as commercial and economic relations," he said.
They have agreed on a "political consultation mechanism," Çavuşoğlu said, adding: "We would like these consultations to be held regularly between our ministries."
Noting the Turkish enterprises’ growing interest in Panama, he stated that their aim is to increase trade volume between the two countries. "We encourage our companies to invest in Panama," he said.
The two countries signed agreements on economy, trade and tourism, the minister said.
Before the press conference, Çavuşoğlu was received by Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo, with whom he also discussed economic and trade issues.
During the press conference, the minister said he invited Cortizo to Turkey to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Çavuşoğlu’s visit to Panama constituted the first official visit at the level of a foreign minister from Turkey and came as part of his six-country Latin America tour this week that also included Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Ecuador.
Çavuşoğlu on Friday arrived in Venezuela on his last stop before returning to Turkey.
In an article written by Çavuşoğlu and published in the newspaper La Estrella de Panama, the top Turkish diplomat highlighted the significance of strengthening economic ties with the Latin American country.
"We value our relations with Panama. Due to its democracy, stability, liberal economy and unique geographic location, Panama is one of our most important partners in Latin America," he said.
Çavuşoğlu also pointed out that the ties between the Central American nation and Ankara are a sign that geographical distance is not an obstacle in building "close relationships between countries."
According to Çavuşoğlu, only 20 years ago, Turkey was represented in the region with six embassies and bilateral trade amounting to about $1 billion. Today, it has 17 embassies and trade has risen to $15 billion (TL 222.5 billion).
He stressed that Turkey considers Panama one of its most important partners in Latin America.
"Since the reciprocal opening of our embassies in 2014 and 2015, respectively, our relations have gained a particular momentum," he said. "Our bilateral trade volume surpassed $300 million, although we believe it is still far from reflecting the real potential," he pointed out.
Çavuşoğlu added that Turkey considers Panama a gateway to the entire Latin American region, given its strategic location as a hub between oceans and continents.