El Salvador's 'crypto' president Bukele to visit Turkiye to boost ties

Central American leader Nayib Bukele announces he is going to visit the capital Ankara, in an official trip during which he is seeking to advance bilateral ties with Turkiye.

Bukele announced during the rock concert-like atmosphere at the gathering that his government will build an oceanside "Bitcoin City" at the base of a volcano.
AP

Bukele announced during the rock concert-like atmosphere at the gathering that his government will build an oceanside "Bitcoin City" at the base of a volcano.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has said he is visiting Turkiye where he will meet his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's presidency said in a statement, a trip in which the Latin American leader plans to solidify bilateral ties and trade cooperation. 

President  Bukele is expected to "strengthen relations with the country and seek cooperation and investment opportunities" and the visit will also include meetings with business leaders, the statement said on Tuesday. 

Last year El Salvador officially opened its diplomatic mission in Ankara to deepen cooperation and agreements. Turkiye has not opened its mission to the Central American country, yet.

Bukele will also visit Anitkabir, the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Mausoleum, the founder of the Turkish state.

"In 2021, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency facilitated the online training module 'Methods to combat Covid-19', which benefited 35 doctors and representatives of the health sector in El Salvador," said the statement. 

"El Salvador has also explored opportunities for Turkish companies to invest in El Salvador, specifically in the energy and tourism sectors."

"Since the beginning of his administration, President Bukele has been committed to strengthening diplomatic relations with various countries, with the aim of seeking the welfare of Salvadorans," the statement added.

Crypto president

Forty-year-old Bukele is actively using social media and has engaged with cryptocurrency transactions at the state level.

He recognised Bitcoin as legal currency in September as optional to the national adopted US Dollar. The US currency replaced El Salvador's Colón in 2001.

President Bukele said that the digital wallet used for transactions was not functioning and predicted Bitcoin is more efficient to do business, making his country the first of recognising it as legal tender.

Many Salvadorans have engaged in protests against the government and new regulations in the country but a fair chunk of the population has also favoured Bukele's policies.

He has slammed US sanctions imposed on El Salvador's government officials that were accused of negotiating with local gangs in an attempt to seal a secret "truce" and shore up political support.

According to a poll in December by the investigative unit of the local newspaper La Prensa, over 85 percent of El Salvadorans have approved Bukele's leadership in the country. 

El Salvador's president with his over 3.3 million followers on Twitter became tech support for a nation stepping into the world of cryptocurrency.

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