The trade volume between Turkey and Colombia rose significantly last year to $2 billion and the two countries still have a much greater commercial potential to explore, a top Turkish official said on Friday.
"Colombia is our second biggest trade partner in the region, our trade volume of $1 billion doubled in 2021," Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said at a press conference in the capital Ankara with Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez.
"We have the potential to boost it (trade volume) to $5 billion," Çavuşoğlu said, noting that Ankara encouraged Turkish businesses to invest in the South American country.
Both Turkey and Colombia host millions of refugees as a result of developments in their neighbors, respectively Syria and Venezuela, and both are looking for ways to cooperate and draw international attention to the issue of refugees, he added.
Çavuşoğlu said that in their meeting earlier in the day, he and Ramirez exchanged views on what actions could be taken with the international community to ensure the voluntary and safe return of refugees, along with burden-sharing, adding that the two countries would take steps to draw international attention to the matter once again.
They also discussed cooperation in the defense industry, Çavuşoğlu said, noting that Turkish firms were coming up with offers to meet the needs of Colombian armed forces.
Colombia has a special place for Turkey, according to the Turkish minister, who said leading Turkish organizations such as Anadolu Agency, Turkish Airlines, and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), have offices in the country's capital Bogota.
Çavuşoğlu also said 87 Turkish citizens remain in Ukraine, with the total rising to around 190 people including those accompanying them.
The United Nations believes thousands of people have died in Mariupol after more than a month under Russian siege and relentless bombardment.
The Red Cross had hoped to begin evacuations from the city on Friday with the first aid convoy, but Ukraine said Russia had prevent buses from reaching it on Thursday.
