Türkiye has welcomed its acceptance as an associate observer to the Ibero-American Conference after Ibero-American foreign ministers met at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.
“We welcome the acceptance of Türkiye’s application to become an Associate Observer to the Ibero-American Conference,” the Turkish foreign ministry said on Monday.
The ministry thanked all member states, particularly Spain, the current chair of the conference, as well as the Ibero-American Secretariat for their contributions.
Türkiye will participate as an associate observer at the 30th Ibero-American Conference Summit, scheduled for November 4-5 in Madrid, according to the ministry.
The decision is expected to be formally approved at the summit of heads of state and government in November, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
Expanding ties with Latin America
Türkiye formally applied for associate observer status on July 3 in a letter from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Ibero-American Secretary-General Andres Allamand.
The status is expected to help Türkiye deepen political dialogue with member countries and expand cooperation in trade, culture and development.
Angola and India also had their applications for associate observer status approved at the foreign ministers’ meeting.
Established through founding summits in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1991 and Madrid in 1992, the Ibero-American Conference brings together 22 countries from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. Its General Secretariat is based in Madrid.
Associate observers can participate in summits of heads of state and government, ministerial meetings and gatherings of foreign ministers, national coordinators and cooperation officials.
Other associate observers include Belgium, France, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines and South Korea.
The foreign ministry said Türkiye would continue to deepen cooperation with the conference’s members as part of its multidimensional policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean.
