UPDATE - 'Turkiye, Colombia have potential for $5B trade volume'

UPDATES WITH FURTHER REMARKS

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - The trade volume between Turkiye and Colombia rose significantly last year to $2 billion and the two countries still have a much greater commercial potential to explore, a top Turkish official said on Friday.

"Colombia is our second biggest trade partner in the region, our trade volume of $1 billion doubled in 2021," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a press conference in the capital Ankara with Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez.

"We have the potential to boost it (trade volume) to $5 billion," Cavusoglu said, noting that Ankara encouraged Turkish businesses to invest in the South American country.

Both Turkiye and Colombia host millions of refugees as a result of developments in their neighbors, respectively Syria and Venezuela, and both are looking for ways to cooperate and draw international attention to the issue of refugees, he added.

Cavusoglu said that in their meeting earlier in the day, he and Ramirez exchanged views on what actions could be taken with the international community to ensure the voluntary and safe return of refugees, along with burden-sharing, adding that the two countries would take steps to draw international attention to the matter once
again.

They also discussed cooperation in the defense industry, Cavusoglu said, noting that Turkish firms were coming up with offers to meet the needs of the Colombian armed forces.

Colombia has a special place for Turkiye, according to the Turkish minister, who said leading Turkish organizations such as Anadolu Agency, Turkish Airlines, and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), have offices in the country's capital Bogota.

After the press conference, Cavusoglu also said on Twitter that the two countries would improve their cooperation in many areas including migration, the defense industry, counter-terrorism, education, and food security.

- Ukraine

Responding to a question on the evacuation of Turkish nationals from Ukraine, Cavusoglu said there were less than 90 citizens of the country left in the war-weary country, including 30 in Mariupol.

On Turkiye's efforts to mediate an end to the war, he said progress had been made in recent "meaningful" talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, though some issues remain to be resolved by the warring countries' leaders.

Cavusoglu underlined that this made it essential for the sides to keep dialogue channels open amid efforts to secure lasting peace.

Ramirez, for her part, hailed Ankara's mediation efforts, saying that this kind of leadership was needed to prevent further death and end the conflict as soon as possible.

She said Turkiye set an example for her country with its achievements in tourism, the economy, and management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colombia is looking forward to benefitting from the experiences of the Turkish government, said Ramirez, expressing gratitude for Ankara's medical assistance during the pandemic.