Chile opens new embassy building in Turkish capital

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) – Chile has opened a new embassy building in the Turkish capital, Ankara, in a move to show the importance that the Latin American country attributes to its relations with Türkiye.

The building was opened with a ceremony that was attended by distinguished guests including senior Turkish and foreign diplomats, bureaucrats and deputies.

During his speech, Chile’s ambassador to Türkiye, Rodrigo E. Arcos, underscored his country’s eagerness to further improve relations with Ankara.

Reminding that Chile was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the nascent Republic of Türkiye, he said: “Since then, we have developed a fraternal relationship based on our common interests, based on our national goals.”

Drawing attention to the intense high-level diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, Arcos praised Turkish diplomacy for its professionalism and its efforts at the regional and global levels.

Identically, Turkish deputy Orhan Kircali, president of the Türkiye-Chile Parliamentary Friendship Group, expressed his hope that the building would contribute to the further enhancement of bilateral relations.

“We are working and will continue to work to develop strategies in many areas to improve our cooperation for the benefit of both countries,” he said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ozge Tuysuzoglu, director of the Chilean Trade Office in Türkiye, drew attention that Chile is the only country in the Americas with which Türkiye has a free trade agreement.

That Türkiye’s exports to Chile increased by 140% in 2021 proves the success of the agreement, she said, noting that Chilean food exporters seriously consider utilizing Türkiye as a hub to access wider regional markets.

Türkiye, with its location and developed infrastructure, is considered ideal by them, Tuysuzoglu added.