Both countries sign key agreements to strengthen cultural and political relations, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavushoglu says following a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Carlos Franca in capital Brasilia, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media.
Turkey and Brazil are aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $10 billion and are willing to make the trade much more balanced through diversification of goods, the Turkish foreign minister has said.
"We want to mutually increase our trade volume and also our tourism activities," Mevlut Cavushoglu told a joint news conference on Monday following a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Carlos Franca in the capital Brasilia.
During the meeting, the two sides concentrated on cooperation in the fields of defence, military, culture, and education, said Cavushoglu.
Both sides also signed important agreements which will strengthen cultural and political relations, he said, adding Turkey and Brazil have ties that go back more than 160 years.
Before the start of the pandemic, the number of tourists visiting Turkey from Brazil was around 100,000, while this number has dropped as the countries had closings as part of the Covid-19 measures, Cavushoglu noted.
"Now our aim is to achieve this figure again and even go beyond this to reach 150,000. We want to host guests and tourists from Brazil. And we also want our Turkish citizens to visit Brazil," he said.
Sao Paulo flights of Turkish Airlines are an important motivation for that, the Turkish foreign minister said, adding that Turkey plans for a direct flight to Rio de Janeiro as well.
On the occasion of Cavushoglu's visit, the 4th Turkey-Brazil Partnership Commission meeting was also held.
"Brazil is our biggest trade partner in Latin America and it is a fact that we have achieved the figure of almost $5 billion trade volume," said Cavushoglu.