Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will meet Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro this Friday, April 29 in Caracas.
Cavusoglu arrived in the country on Thursday, which will be the last stop on his Latin America tour, which started last Saturday in Uruguay.
At the inauguration ceremony of Turkey’s Maarif Foundation’s Colegio San Román on Thursday in Caracas, Cavusoglu assured “that he is happy to be in Venezuela,” pointing it out
He believes that the schools Turkey is opening there “will contribute a lot to their future”.
Turkish Foreign Minister wished all teachers and students of the institution, the third Turkish institution on Venezuelan territory, good luck, adding: “We are proud of our Maarif Foundation because it spreads our flag, language and culture everywhere.”
“We believe that the number of schools and students will increase rapidly in the near future. We have full confidence in our Venezuelan friends in this regard,” said the Turkish minister, noting that the Turkish foundation has become one of the top five institutions in the world in a short period of time.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, who also attended the event, expressed his gratitude to Turkey. “My dear friend Cavusoglu traveled all over Latin America until he came here and I really thank him,” he said.
Plasencia also thanked the Maarif Foundation for its contributions to education, stating that “the noble and solid structure in which we find ourselves is a sign of our friendly relations”.
“With these visits, we intend to further strengthen ties between the two countries,” said the Venezuelan minister, adding that in this context the meetings taking place this Friday will play an important role.
Cavusoglu’s visit to Venezuela on his Latin America tour followed his trips to Uruguay, Brazil and Ecuador, Colombia and Panama.
Meanwhile, this Thursday an article by Cavusoglu was published in La Estrella de Panamá newspaper amid his visit to the country.
In the text, the Turkish foreign minister stressed the importance of strengthening economic ties with the Latin American nation.
“We value our relationship with Panama. Because of its democracy, stability, liberal economy and unique geographic location, Panama is one of our most important partners in Latin America,” he said.
Cavusoglu stressed that Panama-Ankara ties are a sign that geographical distance is not an obstacle to building “close ties between the countries.”
According to the minister, 20 years ago Turkey was represented with six embassies in the region and bilateral trade was around USD 1 billion, while today it has 17 embassies and trade has increased to USD 15 billion.
“Since the mutual opening of our embassies in 2014 and 2015, our relations have gained a special dynamic. Our bilateral trade volume has surpassed $300 million, although we believe it is still far from reflecting real potential,” he stressed.
The Turkish minister was also received by President Laurentino Cortizo on Thursday during his first visit to Panama.
See also: Turkey and Panama sign economic, trade and tourism agreements
Turkey and Panama have signed economic and tourism agreements, Cavusoglu said during a press conference with his Panamanian counterpart Erika Mouynes.
*Aicha Sandoval Alaguna contributed to the writing of this article.
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