Turkey, Brazil aim for $10 bln trade volume: FM Çavuşoğlu

Turkey and Brazil aimed for a trade volume of $10 billion, willing to make the bilateral trade much more balanced through diversification of goods, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.

"We want to mutually increase our trade volume and also our tourism activities," Mevlut Çavuşoğlu told a joint news conference 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 defense, military, culture, and education, said Çavuşoğlu.

Two countries also signed important agreements which will strengthen cultural and political relations, he added.

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, Çavuşoğlu also noted.

"Now our aim is to achieve this figure again and even go beyond this to reach 150,000.

"We want to host guests, 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.

"With those direct flights, we can of course increase the number of tourists inbound and outbound," Çavuşoğlu noted.

Çavuşoğlu underlined that Turkey and Brazil have ties that go back to more than 160 years, saying the two countries have strong cultural relations.

In 2010, the countries brought their relations to the strategic partnership level, he noted.

On the occasion of Çavuşoğlu'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 Çavuşoğlu.

BRAZIL AS KEY REGIONAL, GLOBAL ACTOR

Çavuşoğlu said Brazil is an important partner for Turkey but also an important actor both regionally and globally.

"So, in addition to regional matters, we're willing to work more closely with Brazil on the global matters," he noted.

"We want to have stronger cooperation in multilateral platforms like the UN, G-20, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)," said Çavuşoğlu, adding that Turkey strongly supports Brazil's OECD candidacy.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed regional matters, including the Russia-Ukraine war, said the Turkish foreign minister.

"The fight against terrorism is also an area we attach importance for our cooperation in the forthcoming period," he added.

Çavuşoğlu also celebrated the second centenary of the independence of Brazil and said he is willing to host his counterpart Franca in Turkey soon.

'BRAZIL SUPPORTS TURKEY'S FREE TRADE DEAL WITH SOUTHERN COMMON MARKET'

Franca, for his part, said they agreed to expand the bilateral cooperation.

"We are trying to institutionalize the infrastructure of our relations with Turkey. We want to strengthen this institutional infrastructure in the defense industry, as well as in many different fields," he said.

Franca welcomed Çavuşoğlu's visit to Brazil and hailed Turkey's intensive multilateral and bilateral contacts in the international arena, including Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which he termed "extremely important."

It was the first time that a delegation representing the Brazilian government attended this forum last month, said Franca.

On March 10, Turkey made headlines worldwide for hosting the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, the highest-level meeting of the two sides since the war began on Feb. 24.

Franca also stressed that Brazil supports Turkey's efforts to revive the free trade agreement negotiations with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Franca also thanked Turkey for its support for Brazil's OECD candidacy.

Recalling the agreement between Turkey and Brazil in the field of defense industry inked last year, Franca said: "With this agreement, we will be able to carry out many different studies and transfer technology. This will also increase the combat power of the Brazilian army and strengthen our infrastructure in this regard."

Çavuşoğlu on Sunday attended the opening ceremony of Turkey's Consulate General in Sao Paulo.

He will also be received by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as part of his official visit to the Latin American country.