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Türkiye took part in the Ibero-American Conference for the first time as an associate observer, with Deputy Foreign Minister Zeki Levent Gumrukcu saying the new status would be turned into concrete cooperation with Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula.
"We will not leave this associate observer status on paper. Considering the interest we saw in the meetings, we will turn cooperation into mutual benefit with concrete projects," Gumrukcu told state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) after a high-level dialogue meeting at the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid.
Türkiye's application, submitted a year ago, was accepted unanimously within a short time thanks to the sincere efforts of Spain, which holds the rotating presidency, Gumrukcu said.
"Our interest in Latin America is not new. It is a process continuing over the last 25 years, and by adding a new multilateral, institutional and structural layer of cooperation, I think we can say we have added a new page to our relations," he said.
Founded at summits in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1991 and Madrid in 1992, the Ibero-American Conference brings together 19 Latin American countries plus Spain, Portugal and Andorra.
Its General Secretariat is in Madrid. The summit runs Nov. 4-5.
Associate observers can take part in summits of heads of state and government, sectoral ministerial meetings and meetings of foreign ministers, national coordinators and cooperation officials. Other associate observers include Belgium, France, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines and South Korea.
Gumrukcu said Türkiye launched an opening plan toward Latin America in 1998, and over 28 years it has become a strategic element of Turkish foreign policy.
"Our number of embassies in Latin America, which was six 28 years ago, has risen to 19 today. Our trade volume with the whole region, which did not reach $1 billion, is now about to reach $17 billion," he said.
"While there were no direct flights, today Turkish Airlines operates direct flights to nine destinations. This will rise to 10 in the first half of next year. Our Yunus Emre cultural centers in the region, which were zero, are now four. TIKA has implemented about 800 bilateral development projects in this period," he added.
"In particular, Türkiye’s foreign policy and mediation initiatives in its region are closely followed by Latin American countries, and we are constantly asked questions about this and receive their appreciation," Gumrukcu said.
He said small and medium-sized enterprises account for 70% to 80% of both Latin American economies and Türkiye’s, and that the sides discussed future cooperation on the green transition and digitalization, which are putting pressure on SMEs.
Climate change, cooperation against natural disasters such as earthquakes, and cultural and academic exchange programs were also discussed, he said.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the admission of Türkiye, India, Angola and the Association of Caribbean States as associate observers "strengthens the global reach of the Ibero-American community."
"At the same time, this participation reveals growing interest in its extraordinary capacity to build consensus among different countries and to create a space for dialogue, political coordination and cooperation," Albares said.
Türkiye's debut as an Ibero-American associate observer marks a new institutional channel for its Latin America outreach.
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