Accompanied by a group of 100 Turkish businessmen and six deputies, Çağlayan met with the Chilean ministers of public works, settlement and finance in the capital city of Santiago on Monday. Çağlayan proceeded to Chile after paying an official visit to Brazil over the weekend. The minister is in the country to sign a free trade agreement.
Underlining that free trade agreements are critical to improving mutual business relations between countries, Çağlayan said despite the distance between the two countries, Turkey and Chile could carry their trade relations to a better place than present. “Currently the trade volume between Turkey and Chile is around $474 million, and we believe this can be increased to $1 billion within the next two years. We are planning to cooperate particularly in the fields of services, engineering, consultancy, construction and automotives,” he noted, adding that the agreement is of special importance in that it will be the first free trade agreement to be signed at the Chilean presidential palace.
Çağlayan said the Chilean side had also declared its willingness to improve mutual relations. Speaking following her meeting with Çağlayan, Patricia Poblete, the Chilean minister of public works, called on Turkish entrepreneurs to invest in her country and cooperate with their Chilean counterparts. Underlining that free trade agreements have become a must for countries so that they can integrate well with global markets, the minister said she believed the free trade agreement will help boost business relations with Turkey.
Meanwhile, the İstanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association (İMMİB) hosted a dinner for the Turkish delegation on Monday in Santiago. Speaking at the gathering, Turkish Ambassador to Chile Osman Ulukan said it is also necessary to improve tourism relations with Chile, noting that he believes the number of tourists from Chile to Turkey can be increased to 180,000 a year from the current 8,000 should an effective promotion campaign be launched.
