Turkey to support Ecuador’s candidacy in UN Security Council

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, is visiting the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, to strengthen relations between the two nations. The official assured that his country “will wholeheartedly support Ecuador’s upcoming membership in the UN Security Council.”

“Despite being geographically separated, our countries, which are united by common values and objectives, have the possibility and the responsibility to work closely together to address our common challenges and opportunities,” he said.

His visit is part of a tour of six Latin American countries, including Brazil and Uruguay.

“My visit to Quito is of special significance as it marks the first official visit by a Turkish foreign minister. It is promising to be in such a friendly country with which we share a broad positive agenda and mutual commitment,” he mentioned.

Diplomatic relations between Ecuador and Turkey date back to 1950 and gained particular momentum when Ecuador opened its Embassy in Ankara in 2009 and Turkey in Quito in 2012.

“I hope that my visit to Ecuador today will open new avenues of cooperation to trade and investment, cultural cooperation, education, energy, and agriculture, just to name a few of these areas with great potential,” he referred and stressed that they hope to expand the scope of coordination and cooperation in multilateral platforms.

Çavuşoğlu recalls that the two countries agree on advancing their bilateral relations and have a similar vision for addressing humanity’s current challenges.

“No matter how far we are from each other, many of the challenges we face today are the same. These include illegal migration, climate change, the fight against pandemics, terrorism, organized crime, and drug trafficking,” he notes, adding that both countries “believe that only through international cooperation can these problems be effectively addressed.”

In this framework, he mentions that Ecuador is a crucial partner in building a more stable, prosperous, just, and humane world order.

He refers that Turkey became the largest donor of humanitarian assistance by GDP and the largest refugee-hosting country in the world.

In addition, he mentions that they have long launched an outreach policy towards the Latin American region.

Çavuşoğlu recounts that, over the past two decades, they have increased the number of diplomatic missions from six to 18 and that the 19th will be opened this year in San Salvador.

“Our trade volume with the region has increased 15-fold during this period. It now exceeds US$15 billion. Even last year, despite the pandemic, our trade increased significantly,” he said.

He explains that all relevant agencies in the country have intensified their presence and activities in the region. For example, Turkish Airlines now flies directly to eight destinations, while the TIKA Development Agency has implemented some 500 projects in almost every country in the region.

As a result, he stressed that relations with Latin America have reached a level with a solid foundation. They are now ready for broader political dialogue, more economic cooperation, and closer cultural ties.

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