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Ankara, Türkiye. September, 2026  — The Association of Caribbean States is advancing its engagement with Türkiye toward a more strategic partnership focused on concrete opportunities for the Greater Caribbean in tourism, connectivity, investment and Disaster Risk Reduction.

A series of high-level engagements in Ankara, led by Her Excellency Noemí Espinoza, Secretary-General of the ACS, and made possible with the valuable support of DEİK and its Chairman, Mr. Mahmut Er, highlighted the potential to build on Türkiye’s longstanding relationship with the Association and translate it into stronger regional cooperation, practical initiatives, and new connections between Türkiye and the Greater Caribbean.

The discussions reinforced a central proposition: the ACS can serve as a regional bridge, connecting Türkiye’s expertise, institutions, businesses and investment interests with opportunities that respond to shared priorities across the Greater Caribbean.

From cooperation to greater regional opportunities

Türkiye’s established relationship with the ACS provides a platform to move from cooperation to broader regional opportunities. In discussions with Ambassador Mehmet Erkan Aytun, Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean at Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides explored how to deepen engagement in tourism, connectivity, infrastructure, and business links.

Through its regional platform, the ACS can help connect institutions and private-sector partners and scale this interest into initiatives that benefit the Greater Caribbean.

Building a stronger multi-destination tourism offer

Tourism emerged as a key area for practical cooperation. In discussions with Onur Göze, Director General for Promotion at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, attention focused on opportunities to strengthen a multi-destination offer for the Greater Caribbean through joint promotion, engagement with tour operators and travel agencies, and the development of integrated tourism packages and a shared regional brand.

Building on Türkiye’s existing support for cultural tourism initiatives, deeper cooperation could help connect destinations, expand the region’s reach in international markets, increase visitor flows, and open new opportunities for investment across the Greater Caribbean.

Connectivity as an enabler of multi-destination tourism

Stronger connectivity is essential to make multi-destination tourism a viable regional product. In discussions with Professor Kemal Yüksek, Director General of Civil Aviation of Türkiye, attention focused on improving links between international hubs and regional carriers through better coordinated schedules and commercial arrangements, including codeshare and interline agreements.

More seamless connections can make it easier for travellers to include several Greater Caribbean destinations in one journey, supporting longer stays, wider market access and a broader distribution of tourism benefits across the region.

Strengthening regional resilience through cooperation

Disaster risk reduction is another priority area for deeper cooperation with Türkiye. In discussions with Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Türkiye, the ACS explored opportunities for technical exchange, capacity strengthening and regional initiatives that draw on Türkiye’s experience and expertise.

Aligned with the Strategic Plan: Greater Caribbean 2035, this cooperation can help strengthen preparedness and coordinated responses to climate-related and geophysical risks that affect countries across the region.

A regional platform for strategic partnerships

Taken together, the engagements in Ankara point toward a broader opportunity: moving the relationship between Türkiye and the Greater Caribbean from individual areas of cooperation toward a more connected regional partnership.

By linking tourism development with connectivity, investment, institutional cooperation and resilience, the ACS seeks to ensure that international partnerships translate into tangible opportunities for its Members and contribute to the sustainable development of the Greater Caribbean.

The ACS delegation included Marsha Alleyne, Chief Product Development Officer, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.; Delysia De Coteau, Senior Technical Officer and Head of Tourism Division, Ministry of Tourism, the Creative Economy and Culture of Grenada; Osbourne Chin, Senior Director, Tourism Policy and Monitoring, Ministry of Tourism of Jamaica; Rene Seepersadsingh, Director, Tourism Trinidad Limited; Natasha Anderson, Director, Sales - Europe, St. Vincent Tourism Authority.