The ambassador of Spain to Turkey is the official representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Turkey. It is also accredited to the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Georgia.
The Ottoman and Spanish empires had diplomatic contacts from the 16th century onwards and, although representatives with the rank of ambassador were sent, these were not ambassadors in the modern sense, but temporary ambassadors to negotiate a specific matter or resolve a dispute.
Following the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Trade between both empires, signed in Constantinople on 14 September 1782, permanent diplomatic relations were established. Spain was allowed to establish consulates "in all ports and convenient maritime locations within the Ottoman domain". Thanks to this authorization, Juan de Bouligny, minister to Turkey, created a general consulate in Smyrna, consulates in Thessaloniki, Cyprus and Aleppo, and vice-consulates in Alexandria, Arta and Athens. Finally, in 1951 the legation to Turkey was elevated to the rank of ambassador.
The ambassador is also accredited to:
In the past, this position served as ambassador to Afghanistan (1962âÂÂ1973), Greece (1892âÂÂ1914) and Iran (1943âÂÂ1954).
This list was compiled using the work "History of the Spanish Diplomacy" by the Spanish historian and diplomat Miguel ÃÂngel Ochoa Brun. The work covers up to the year 2000, so the rest is based on appointments published in the BoletÃÂn Oficial del Estado.