Turkey, Panama ink agreements on trade, tourism

Turkey and Panama on Thursday discussed steps to strengthen relations and signed agreements on economy and tourism, the Turkish foreign minister said.

Speaking at a press conference along with Erika Mouynes, his counterpart in Panama, Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “We discussed concrete steps regarding our bilateral relations.”

Turkey and Panama are important regional centers for trade and logistics, he stressed.

“We agreed to increase our political dialogue as well as commercial and economic relations,” he said.

They have agreed on a “political consultation mechanism,” he said, adding: “We would like these consultations to be held regularly between our ministries.”

Noting the Turkish enterprises' growing interest in Panama, he stated that their aim is to increase trade volume between the two countries.

“We encourage our companies to invest in Panama,” he said.

The two countries signed agreements on economy, trade and tourism, the minister said.

Before the press conference, Cavusoglu was received by Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo, with whom he also discussed economic and trade issues.

During the press conference, the minister said he invited Cortizo to Turkey to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Cavusoglu’s visit to Panama constitutes the first official visit at the level of foreign minister from Turkey. He also visited Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Ecuador this week.

He will travel to Venezuela before returning to Turkey this weekend.