Chile and Turkey are on a course to further improve relations in many domains, Santiago's envoy to Ankara told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview released Monday.

Drawing attention to the long history of bilateral relations, Ambassador Rodrigo E. Arcos said in an exclusive interview that his country became the first Latin American country that recognized modern Turkey in 1926.

As early as 1930, Turkey opened its diplomatic mission in Santiago, and Chile reciprocated by opening its embassy in Ankara in 1940, he said.

Relations gained impetus in recent decades, according to the ambassador who revealed that the two countries are cooperating on Turkey's expeditions in Antarctica and undertakings to establish a permanent base.

The Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) is cooperating with Turkish scientists involved in the expeditions, who are transported to the frozen continent by Chilean ships, said Arcos.

"The Turkish base will be located very close to one of our bases there," he said.

Arcos underscored that Chile is the only Latin American country with which Turkey has a full free trade agreement.

The agreement, which took effect in 2011, is contributing to an increase in bilateral trade, which is projected to surpass its pre-pandemic volume in 2022, he said.

The two countries are currently working on updating the agreement and separate agreements to prevent double taxation to give a further boost to commercial ties and the prosperity of the countries, said Arcos.

He said that Chile, one of the world's foremost countries in the mining industry and the largest copper producer, is willing to share its expertise and technologies with Turkish institutions and companies.

Because of Turkey's excellent location, where Europe, Asia and Africa meet, and its modern infrastructure, the ambassador said Chile wants to improve cooperation in the logistics sector.

He underscored that connecting Chile and Turkey via flights on Turkish Airlines (THY) is something his country keenly wants to do and is working toward.

"Since I was appointed to Ankara in 2021, I held three meetings with them and I remain hopeful that THY would start direct flights between our countries," said Arcos.

"Consequently, it would be an important step to expand our commercial relations to the hitherto untapped field of tourism," he added.

Chile is seeking to expand its visibility and presence in Turkey, the Latin American country's envoy to Ankara also told AA.

"Though we are geographically far, the perception of your country is very close to Chileans," said Arcos.

"Thanks to Turkish TV shows and soap operas, Turkish influence grows among Chileans," he said.

Chileans want to visit Turkey, the home country of Turkish actors and actresses they knew through television, he said.

"Against this backdrop, if Turkish Airlines launches direct flights between two countries, I am sure many Chileans would flock to Turkey," said Arcos.

The ambassador said one would notice that "we are very alike, including being passionate about family and the motherland."

He noted the presence of a population that moved to Chile from Ottoman Syria, Lebanon and Palestine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries formed a bridge between the nations.

"They introduced essential knowledge about your geography and customs as well as various delicious desserts to Chile," said Arcos.

On the other hand, he said, Chile aims to strengthen the cultural ties between Turks and Chileans.

"In this context, we are working with said country's envoy in Ankara University to translate two books about Chilean literature and history into Turkish," according to the ambassador.

He said the Chilean Embassy has donated 200 books to the Turkish National Education Ministry to be used in a campaign organized under the auspices of first lady Emine Erdoğan to include libraries at the schools across Turkey.

One of the books is short stories by various Chilean authors and another is selected short texts and poems by well-known Chilean poet, educator and humanist Gabriela Mistral, said Acros, adding that an additional 1,000 books will be provided free of charge by the embassy.

The ambassador said the embassy building will move to a new location, which will be larger, as the centenary of Turkey is approaching. The move is to prove the importance we attribute to our relations with Turkey, he said.