ANKARA
Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis on Wednesday held talks with several Chilean high-ranking officials following the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) - EU Summit in Chile.
Minister Egemen Bagis met the Minister Secretary-General of the Chilean Presidency Cristian Larroulet, Consultant Julio Dittborn, the acting Finance Minister, and the Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Alfredo Moreno Charme.
During the meetings, Bagis demanded the Chilean officials' support for Turkey's non-permanent membership of UN Security Council in 2015-2016, as well as for the candidacy of Izmir for EXPO 2020 and for the candidacy of Istanbul for 2020 Summer Olympics. While Duabi (UAE), Ayutthaya (Thailand), Ekateringburg (Russia) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) are rivals of Izmir for EXPO 2020, Tokyo(Japan) and Madrid (Spain) are rivals of Istanbul for 2020 Summer Olympics.
Bagis exchanged views on several issues including escalating bilateral relations between Turkey and Chile during the meetings.
Bagis also came together with Turkish entrepreneurs in Santiago.
Demand for Turkish Airlines in Chile
The Turkish businessmen briefed Bagis about their activities.
Noting that there were around 350-400 Turkish entrepreneurs in the country, the entrepreneurs said they mostly imported second hand toys as well as clothings and home furniture from North America and sold them in Chile and other South American countries.
The entrepreneurs also said that there was a grand potential in terms of escalating trade between Turkey and Chile, adding that flights by Turkish Airlines to Santiago would assist to increase the trade.
They also told Bagis that a visit to Chile by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would please them, and asked Bagis to inform Erdogan about their request.
Bagis, in his part, congratulated them for their enterprises in Chile.
