To emphasize the value that the Latin American nation places on its relations with Türkiye, Chile has opened a new embassy building in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
The building was opened with a ceremony that was attended by distinguished guests, including senior Turkish and foreign diplomats, bureaucrats and deputies.
During his speech, Chile's ambassador to Türkiye, Rodrigo E. Arcos, underscored his country's eagerness to further improve relations with Ankara.
Reiterating that Chile was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the nascent Republic of Türkiye, he said: "Since then, we have developed a fraternal relationship based on our common interests, based on our national goals."
Drawing attention to the intense high-level diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, Arcos praised Turkish diplomacy for its professionalism and its efforts at the regional and global levels.
Identically, Turkish deputy Orhan Kırcalı, president of the Türkiye-Chile Parliamentary Friendship Group, expressed his hope that the building would contribute to the further enhancement of bilateral relations.
"We are working and will continue to work to develop strategies in many areas to improve our cooperation for the benefit of both countries," he said.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Özge Tüysüzoğlu, director of the Chilean Trade Office in Türkiye, drew attention to the fact that Chile is the only country in the Americas with which Türkiye has a free trade agreement.
That Türkiye's exports to Chile increased by 140% in 2021 proves the success of the agreement, she said, noting that Chilean food exporters seriously consider utilizing Türkiye as a hub to access wider regional markets.
Türkiye, with its location and developed infrastructure, is considered an ideal location, Tüysüzoğlu added.
Türkiye maintains good relations with Chile in all areas. The establishment of the bilateral relations between Türkiye and the Republic of Chile traces back to the Protocol of Consular Affairs signed in 1913, during the Ottoman Empire era. With the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed on Jan. 30, 1926, Chile became the first Latin American country to recognize the new Turkish republic.
Our first diplomatic mission in Santiago became operational in 1930, however, it was closed the following year. Later on, it became operational in 1944 once again and was elevated to the level of an embassy in 1954. On the other hand, the first Embassy of Chile in Türkiye opened in 1940 and the first Chilean Ambassador was appointed in 1957.
Bilateral political relations gained momentum in the mid-1990s. Then Türkiye's former President H.E. Süleyman Demirel visited Chile on April 1995. This visit paved the way for high-level visits and meetings.
The then-Chilean President H.E. Ricardo Lagos visited Türkiye in 2004 and then-Chilean President H.E. Sebastian Pinera visited Türkiye in 2012.
2016 marked the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Chile. Chilean Foreign Minister H.E. Heraldo Munoz visited Türkiye to address the 8th Ambassadors Conference held on Jan. 12-14, 2016. During this visit, an exhibition of the documents of the two countries from foreign ministries’ archives was opened.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit to Chile within the scope of his visits to the Latin America region from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2016.
Chile is the only country in the Latin America and Caribbean region in which Türkiye has a free trade agreement. The agreement, which was signed on July 14, 2009, is in effect since March 1, 2011.
The trade volume between the two countries was approximately $579.3 million, with Türkiye’s exports totaling $343.8 million and its imports $235.5 million by the end of 2019.