Turkey and El Salvador on Thursday signed six agreements during an official visit by President Nayib Bukele to Ankara as both countries pledged to enhance their ties in several fields, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.
The agreements included a wide range of fields, among them economy, trade, defense, diplomacy and education.
Expressing his pleasure over the first presidential visit from El Salvador to Turkey, Erdoğan said: "I believe this historical visit will be a new turning point in Turkey-El Salvador relations."
"The official inauguration of El Salvador's embassy in Ankara, which became operational last year, was made today by our foreign ministers. Hopefully, we will open our embassy in San Salvador as soon as possible," he added.
Despite the pandemic, bilateral economic and commercial relations have made a serious leap in the last period, Erdoğan said.
"Our bilateral trade volume, which was over $27 million in 2020, has neared $50 million last year. This approximately 80% increase actually shows how great our potential is. So, we would like to increase this number to $100 million first and then to $500 million over the next five years. The Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement we signed today will be a significant instrument in this regard," he added.
Pointing out that they also exchanged views on regional issues, especially in Central America, the Turkish president noted: "Our relations with the Latin America and Caribbean region constitute one of the main pillars of our multidimensional foreign policy. The number of (Turkey's) diplomatic missions in the region, which was merely six 15 years ago, has increased to 17 today."
Bukele, for his part, thanked Erdoğan for the invitation and hospitality and said that El Salvador wants to be part of Turkey’s growth.
Bukele on Thursday visited Turkey to meet with Erdoğan and hold diplomatic talks. Bukele was joined by first lady Gabriela Rodriguez de Bukele and their daughter on the trip to boost mutual cooperation and investment in the Central American country.