UPDATE - Türkiye, Costa Rica express mutual will to improve bilateral ties in every field

UPDATE WITH TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER CAVUSOGLU'S PHONE CALLS; REVISES NUMBERS; CHANGES SPOT

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye and Costa Rica have the mutual will to work together to improve their bilateral relations in every area, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

"I thank the Costa Rican foreign minister, his government and people for the solidarity and support they have shown during this time," in the wake of last week's powerful earthquakes, Cavusoglu told a joint press conference with Arnoldo Andre Tinoco, the Central American country's foreign and worship minister.

Cavusoglu said Tinoco visited Türkiye to show his country's solidarity with Türkiye after last week's twin earthquakes, which claimed the lives of over 36,000 people.

The top Turkish diplomat also thanked 101 countries who have offered to help following the earthquakes.

Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that a total of 6,904 foreign personnel from 73 nations are currently working in the disaster zone, with two more nations expected to send rescue teams, Cavusoglu said.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors on Feb. 6 were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 11 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in less than 10 hours.

Saying that they also addressed bilateral ties and recent regional developments, Cavusoglu said: "Despite our geographical distance, we have signed cooperation opportunities in many areas, especially in sectors such as trade, energy, and tourism."

He added that the bilateral trade volume is always on the rise.
Citing a memorandum of understanding in the area of the protocol signed on Thursday with Costa Rica, Cavusoglu said the Türkiye and Costa Rica highly value the field of education to further strengthen human ties between the two nations.

On irregular migration, Cavusoglu noted the experience of the two countries, saying they will share experiences on this as relevant officials will meet in the coming period.

For his part, Tinoco conveyed Costa Rica's condolences and solidarity with Türkiye "in these challenging times."

"We are constantly exploring more ways to support you and your people in the relief recovery and reconstruction tasks," he said.

Tinoco also invited his Turkish counterpart to visit his country, saying that it "would be an excellent opportunity for carrying out political consultations."

Saying that Costa Rica is interested in promoting information exchanges between university academics, researchers, and students as well as the development of joint research projects, Tinoco noted his country's interest "in signing agreements on a further cooperation for the prevention of natural disasters through seismographs between the agencies of each country."

"We like to reiterate our commitment to strengthening cooperation with Türkiye in various areas such as promoting trade, higher education, disaster relief and prevention, and environmental protection," he said.
He further expressed his belief in working together, saying this way, the two countries "can achieve greater success and contribute to the well-being of our peoples."

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Cavusoglu held separate phone calls with his Italian and Azerbaijani counterparts.

Cavusoglu and Italy's Antonio Tajani discussed the aftermath of last week's powerful earthquakes as well as the aid that has been provided.

Separately, Cavusoglu and Azerbaijan's Jeyhun Bayramov spoke over the phone and discussed the search and rescue efforts as well as humanitarian aid matters, said Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

Cavusoglu provided the latest situation in the quake-hit regions, while Bayramov conveyed his country's ever-lasting support to Türkiye.