Turkey's Erdogan Announces South America Trip to Boost Trade

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Chile, Peru and Ecuador next week to develop stronger economic ties with the region.

Erdogan’s press office announced his trip Wednesday, saying he will discuss “regional and international developments" to further bilateral relations. The president will also sign agreements on economic and technical assistance, industrial investment, infrastructure development and scientific exchange.

The effort comes amid falling trade between Turkey and the region. Trade with Chile, for instance, fell to US$417 million during the first 11 months of 2015, down nearly 50 percent from the year before.

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Erdogan will be accompanied on his trip by representatives of the Turkish Contractors Association. Mithat Yenigun, president of the association, said at a press conference that the Turkish construction industry has taken a blow as a result of unrest in Iraq and Libya and soured relations with Russia. South American economies are also suffering from low oil prices.

Turkish construction giants have had a major role in reconstructing war zones in the Middle East, but Peru, Ecuador and Chile still make up more than a third of its work abroad, said Yenigun.

Erdogan will begin his trip in Chile on Jan. 31, fly to Peru Feb. 2 and to Ecuador Feb. 3.

The Ecuadorean ambassador to Turkey, Robert Betancourt, will be accredited in Ankara on Thursday. Betancourt was previously Ecuador’s head negotiator with the European Union and director of Regional Integration and Commercial Negotiation. He named among his top priorities attracting foreign investment and cooperation to develop Ecuadorean industry.