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Turkey, Guyana to expand bilateral ties
Muhsin Tuğrul Kılıçaslan, Turkish non- resident ambassador who is based in Caracas, Venezuela, has presented his credentials to Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar.
Kılıçaslan was born in Izmir in 1957. He graduated from Istanbul Erkek Lisesi and the Technical University of Berlin, Department of
Turkish Ambassador Muhsin Tuğrul Kılıçaslan
Business Administration. Kılıçaslan entered into the Foreign Service in 1985. He served at the Turkish embassies in Athens, Beirut, Vilnius, Bonn and Berlin.
“My government is willing to explore all existing opportunities for further development of relations between the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Turkey,” Kilicaslin said. Relations between the two countries also exist at the level of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the friendship, according to Ramotar, is part of a commitment between the two countries to respect human rights and the harmonious relations between states, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Turkey has a powerful influence in the OIC.
Ramotar is keen to enhance Guyana Middle East ties. He is very familiar with the history, culture and politics of the region. The Guyanese president spent a brief time in Yemen during his youth. Just a month after taking office in Guyana, Ramotar held a meeting with George Hallaq, Guyana’s Middle East envoy, demonstrating his seriousness in consolidating ties with the region.
Turkey and Guyana signed an economic and commercial cooperation agreement in 2005. Yet there are little commercial ties between the two countries. According to 2010 data, Turkey’s exports to Guyana totaled approximately US$5.5 million and its imports from Guyana were around US$2.5 million. A few years ago, a Turkish company, Princess, opened a hotel in Guyana.
Turkey is planning to open two new embassies in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), according to Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu, who said, “This will strengthen our presence in the region.”
Kılıçaslan also indicated the possibility of opening a Turkish embassy in the CARICOM region last year in Trinidad. Guyanese foreign minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, said, “Guyana will be happy to have Turkey establish an embassy here.”
Today Turkey is the 17th largest economy and is quickly becoming a major global power, economically and politically. Its economic ties with Latin America have tremendously increased since the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AK) took power in 2002. Trade volume between Turkey and Latin American countries, which had been $896 million in 2002, exceeded $7 billion in 2011.
The Turkish embassy in Caracas is accredited to Guyana.
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