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Venezuela President Maduro to visit Turkiye, meet Erdogan

June 7, 2022 at 8:16 pm

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to press members as he holds a press conference at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela on February 08, 2019. [Lokman İlhan – Anadolu Agency]

Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, will pay a two-day official visit to Turkiye, beginning on Tuesday, the Turkish government said, Reuters reports.

Maduro has repeatedly said he will visit Turkiye, one of a handful of countries globally with whom he maintains ties amidst stiff sanctions by the United States.

“All aspects of Turkiye-Venezuela relations will be reviewed and steps to enhance the relations will be discussed during the visit,” the Turkish government said in a statement posted on its English-language website, adding the visit is at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “The two leaders are expected to exchange views on regional and global matters as well.”

Turkiye has, since 2018, increased its exports to Venezuela, including food and personal hygiene products. The South American country has, in turn, sold gold to Turkey, though the amount is not public.

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In April, the two countries signed seven agreements during a visit to Venezuela by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

They offered no details on the deals on oil, gas, tourism, sports and other areas.

Cavusoglu has said he wants trade between the two countries to reach $1.5 billion annually, up from some $850 million currently.

Maduro faced harsh criticism from his country’s Opposition when he and wife, Cilia Flores, dined on expensive steak at a “Salt Bae” restaurant in Istanbul, during a 2018 stop-off while returning from a visit to China.

His rivals said Maduro was flaunting what they say is ill-gotten wealth at the restaurant, owned by celebrity chef, Nusret Gokce, while many Venezuelans struggle daily to find enough to eat.