Bust of Türkiye's founding father installed in Guatemala's Foreign Ministry

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A bust of Türkiye's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, was installed in Guatemala's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The project was carried out in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Turkish Embassy in Guatemala on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye and the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Guatemala.

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro said relations between the two countries, which were established 150 years ago with a friendship and trade agreement signed during the time of the Ottoman Empire, continue with strengthened cooperation.

"As Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding leader of the Republic of Türkiye, taught us: 'Language is a bridge, faith is a bridge, and history is a bridge. We must go down to our roots and must unite around our common history, which is interrupted with incidents'," Bucaro added.

Within the scope of the project, an area in the Foreign Ministry building was decorated with tiles brought from Türkiye's Kutahya province.

Bilateral relations between Türkiye and Guatemala have been developing rapidly since the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Guatemala in 2015. Besides its embassy in Ankara, Guatemala also has an honorary Consulate in Istanbul.