Turkey gains membership to UN regional economic bloc

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s membership to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) was formally approved during a meeting in New York on July 25, the Foreign Ministry said on July 26.        

The ECLAC, founded in 1948, is one of the five regional commissions of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that aims to “contribute to the development of Latin American countries and to harmonize their economic policies.”   
     
Turkey had applied for membership to ECLAC on Feb. 1, 2016, during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Chile. Turkey’s application was accepted on Jan. 30.        

“We welcome the formal approval of Turkey’s membership to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean [ECLAC] at the U.N. Economic and Social Council [ECOSOC] meeting yesterday in New York,” the ministry said in a statement.        

The membership shows the importance Turkey gives to Latin America and the Caribbean, the statement said, adding that Turkey’s strategy toward the countries in the region aims at elevating their bilateral relations in all levels, including the establishment of institutional ties.