UPDATE - Turkey, Uruguay tout bilateral ties, vow to further deepen them

UPDATE - Turkey, Uruguay tout bilateral ties, vow to further deepen them

2 countries sign pacts for new political consultation mechanism, cooperation in academies for diplomats

UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM CAVUSOGLU, ADDS URUGUAYAN MINISTER QUOTES

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey and Uruguay on Tuesday touted their longstanding ties, as the foreign ministers of both countries signed pacts for establishing a political consultation mechanism and cooperation in academies for diplomats.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his visiting Uruguayan counterpart Francisco Bustillo in the capital Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said relations between the two countries have gained new momentum.

Telling how relations between Turkey and Uruguay were discussed "comprehensively" in meetings on Tuesday, Cavusoglu described the relations as "positive" and "hopeful."

He also announced a request by Uruguay to open an embassy in Ankara, saying: "Today, we will sign the permit and present it to them right away."

On trade relations, the Turkish minister said the annual trade volume between the two countries had reached $500 million in 2018. "Our goal is to reach $1 billion in bilateral trade volume," he added.

Welcoming the decision to start exploratory talks on establishing a free trade agreement with Uruguay, he said Ankara intended to sign a free trade agreement with the Mercosur trading bloc.

Noting that a legal framework for bilateral ties needed to be established, Cavusoglu said that signing these two agreements would be "an important factor for the increase in trade and the increase in Turkish investments and mutual investments, and the start of Turkish Airlines flights."

On a report by the BBC's Turkish service attributing remarks on supposed plans to establish "a center for Afghan refugees in Turkey" to Britain's defense chief, Cavusoglu once again dismissed the report, saying it was "completely false."

Noting that BBC Turkish later apologized on the matter, the Turkish official said the misattribution did not befit "a well-established organization like the BBC."

On Monday, BBC Turkish apologized after claiming Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Turkey could host refugee processing centers, with the British broadcaster saying it had misattributed media speculation to the UK's Ministry of Defense.

BBC Turkish corrected its story and issued an apology, saying: "We would like to point out that this is not actually from the statements of the British defense secretary."

Asked about Ankara's evacuations from the Afghan capital Kabul, Cavusoglu said Turkey has evacuated over 1,400 people from Afghanistan with about 200 more in line to leave.

Of the evacuees, he said, “1,601 of them are our citizens and others are nationals of other countries."

He also noted that there are about 4,500 Turkish citizens total in Afghanistan.

"We have contacted each of our citizens, called them one by one," he said.

Underscoring the need for stability in Afghanistan, Cavusoglu said: "Our hope is that peace and stability in Afghanistan will be permanently established within the framework of democracy and human rights. If steps are taken in this direction, Turkey will give our best support."

"I would like to note that we are in contact with all parties, not just with a particular group," he added.

Meanwhile, Cavusoglu said Turkey has responded to help request of number of countries, international organizations and NGOs for evacuations from Kabul airport.

He noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken to number of leaders regarding Afghanistan matter while adding that himself has spoken to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and 24 other foreign ministers.

Taliban seized control of Afghanistan after taking Kabul on Aug. 15, with the president and other top officials leaving the country.

The unexpectedly fast shift to Taliban rule triggered a rush to flee Afghanistan, with the future in the war-torn country unclear.

For his part, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Bustillo echoed Cavusoglu's remarks saying: "We need to move forward together, grow together, understand and discover each other."

"We have already lost enough time on our relations with Turkey," said Bustillo, also inviting his Turkish counterpart to Uruguay.

"We must look at the future together and there will undoubtedly be a Uruguayan ambassador touring the streets of Ankara in the near future," he added.

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