MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Turkish Prime Minister to visit Brazil, Argentina and Chile

PM Erdogan after closer links with Latinamerica

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from G-20 member Turkey will pay formal visits to Brazil, Argentina and Chile at the end of May. Turkey and Brazil have increasing closer links and earlier this week brokered a deal with Iran regarding Teheran’s controversial nuclear fuel production capacity.

The visit to South American countries is the first of its kind at prime ministerial level and has the purpose of strengthening Turkey's developing cooperation opportunities with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Erdogan is scheduled to meet Brazilian President Lula da Silva and exchange views on international and regional matters within the scope of bilateral relations, G-20, and United Nations Security Council membership.

Several agreements considered a road map for future links between Turkey and Brazil are also expected to be signed. PM Erdogan will formally inaugurate Turkey's Consulate General in Sao Paulo and visit Petrobras headquarters, which carried out joint oil research activities with Turkey's TPAO in the Black Sea.

From Sao Paulo Erdogan flies to Rio de Janeiro for the Third Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations to be opened by President Lula da Silva.

The next leg of the Turkish PM trip is Argentina to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

On May 31, Erdogan will meet Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and sign “Air Transport” and “Customs Cooperation” agreements.

Finally on June 1, Erdogan will fly to Chile and meet President Sebastian Piñera. The two leaders are expected to take up bilateral economic and commercial relations within the scope of Free Trade Agreement signed in July 2009.

The three countries to be visited by PM Erdogan have significant Turkish communities, may dating back to when the Ottoman Empire was split up following World War I.