Trade Minister Ömer Bolat met with Latin American and Caribbean ambassadors in Ankara to discuss trade and economic relations.
Minister Bolat announced that as of the end of 2025, 688 companies with Latin American and Caribbean capital are operating in Turkey, with a total investment balance of $3.4 billion.
Bolat noted that the trade volume between Turkey and the region, which was only $920 million in 2000, reached $16.4 billion in 2025, stressing that this represents an 18-fold increase.
Last year, Turkey's exports to the region were $5.7 billion and imports were $10.6 billion. In the first five months of this year, the trade volume increased by 15.7% compared to the same period last year, reaching $8.3 billion.
Bolat stated that the Turkish economy has exceeded $1.1 trillion in size and ranks 16th in the world, and said Turkey aims to increase its total goods and services exports from $390 billion in 2025 to $410 billion in 2026.
Minister Bolat noted that Turkey's direct investments in the region reached $1.3 billion, and Turkish contracting firms have undertaken 45 projects worth a total of $1.6 billion.
Latin America and the Caribbean's share in Turkey's exports was 2.1% in 2025, while its share in imports was around 3%.