Mexico and Turkey sign 12 cooperation agreements

The presidents of Mexico and Turkey signed 12 cooperation agreements Tuesday to strengthen economic, scientific and diplomatic relations at an official ceremony commemorating the 85th anniversary of the two nations establishing diplomatic ties.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul received his Mexican counterpart, Enrique Peña Nieto, at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara after a state visit to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, revered as the founder of the Republic of Turkey.

Both Peña Nieto and Gul said in a joint press conference that these accords pave the way to a new era in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Mexico can open doors to Turkey in the Americas and the Caribbean while benefiting from the access to the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe that Turkey can provide, the presidents said.

The ceremony marked the first official visit of a Mexican president to Turkey since the two countries established relations 85 years ago.

Mexico and Turkey are two emerging economies of the Group of 20, or G20, which brings together the most highly developed countries with the fastest growing ones.