UPDATE - Türkiye, Venezuela keen to take bilateral ties to 'next level': President Erdogan

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENTS

By Merve Berker, Beyza Binnur Donmez and Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye will keep making efforts to enhance bilateral relations with Venezuela, the Turkish president said on Wednesday.

Addressing a joint press conference after talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in the capital Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted that Türkiye has “always supported Venezuela and will continue to do so in the future.”

He said Türkiye opposes unilateral sanctions against Venezuela, hailing the country as one of Ankara’s “most important partners” in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

“We have similar views on many global issues,” Erdogan said.

Both sides, he added, have the will to take bilateral relations to “the next level.”

There are many areas in which Türkiye and Venezuela can increase collaboration, including trade, energy, mining, construction, health and tourism, he emphasized.

“Our trade volume with Venezuela was about $150 million in 2019. We doubled it by 2020 and took it up to $850 million in 2021,” he said, adding that Türkiye’s aim is to boost the figure to $3 billion as soon as possible.

As part of continuing efforts to improve bilateral ties, Erdogan said a Turkish government delegation will be heading to Venezuela next month.

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of three tourism, agriculture and economic agreements before the press conference.

Maduro lauded Türkiye’s growing global influence, saying the country plays a “very important” geopolitical role as one of the powers in an increasingly multipolar world.

He also appreciated Ankara’s help during Venezuela’s fight against COVID-19.

“In the most difficult moments, in the times of greatest uncertainty during the pandemic, Türkiye was always by our side … supporting us,” he said.

Emphasizing that Venezuela and Türkiye are “opening up” new avenues of cooperation, he invited Turkish investors to capitalize on the various opportunities emerging on the Latin American country’s path to economic recovery.

“I guarantee you that this is the right moment,” he said, adding that his government has made all the necessary “legal, economic and political” arrangements.

- Sweden, Finland NATO bids

Responding to questions, Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye’s stance against Sweden and Finland’s push to become NATO members.

“NATO is a security organization, not a terrorist organization,” he said.

“Türkiye cannot support Sweden’s NATO bid while its state television broadcasts interviews of terrorist leaders, and the same goes for Finland.”​​​​​​​