Turkey becomes observer to Central American organization

The agreement was signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Guatemalan counterpart Carlos Raul Morales Moscoso at the SICA foreign ministers forum in Guatemala City on Friday. 

SICA was established in 1991 to extend cooperation among countries for regional peace, democracy and economic development.

It has eight member states -- Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize and Dominican Republic -- and 10 extra-regional observers, including Germany, Spain, Japan and China. 

“Being an observer member to SICA will strengthen our ties among Central American countries,” Cavusoglu said after the signing ceremony. “We can have cooperation with SICA in many fields such as the economy, social development, disaster management, regional security and education.”

Meanwhile, Moscoso expressed his pleasure over Turkey's membership and hoped for further cooperation.

Cavusoglu also stated that Turkey would open an embassy in Guatemala.

During the forum, Cavusoglu also signed a trade and economic cooperation agreement with Nicaragua, a trade and economy agreement with Honduras and a diplomatic cooperation deal with Guatemala and Panama.

Anadolu Agency