Turkey, Dominican Republic agree to boost tourism ties

SANTO DOMINGO - Anadolu Agency

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Turkey and the Dominican Republic have agreed to boost cooperation on tourism, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said during a visit to the Caribbean state on Feb. 2.        

Speaking in a joint news conference following a meeting with his Dominican counterpart, Miguel Vargas, Çavuşoğlu said the agreement aimed to increase tourist flow.        

The duo also discussed opening a Dominican mission in Ankara. Turkey has operated a mission in the Dominican Republic since 2013.        

“Ankara considers the Dominican Republic to be a trusted partner,” Çavuşoğlu said.        

He also thanked his counterpart for the Caribbean state’s support for Turkish democracy after the July 15, 2016 deadly coup attempt.

Çavuşoğlu touched upon the Turkey-Israel normalization process, which saw a high-level foreign ministry officials’ meeting on Feb. 1.        

He said Ankara and Tel Aviv were looking forward to boosting bilateral ties after more than six years of estrangement, after the Israeli administration fulfilled Ankara’s conditions following the Mavi Marmara raid in 2010.       

A significant number of Israeli tourists are expected to visit Turkey this year, Çavuşoğlu said, noting that Turkey’s tourism minister will visit a trade fair in Israel.        

The Dominican Republic was the third leg of Çavuşoğlu’s official tour to Latin America and the Caribbean after his visits to Argentina and Paraguay. Mexico will be the final stop of his diplomatic trip.