‘Venezuela, Turkey put efforts to expand cooperation, solidarity'

By Behlul Cetinkaya and Aicha Isabel Sandoval Alagun

ANKARA (AA) – Venezuela and Turkey put efforts to strengthen relations to expand cooperation and solidarity, the Venezuelan foreign minister said on Monday.

“There is an effort to strengthen the relations between our countries, to increase cooperation and solidarity because (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro are the two leaders in charge and always prioritize the interests of people,” Felix Plasencia told Anadolu Agency.

"We have a relationship with Turkey based on defending international law, adherence to the principles of the international community, and efforts to protect the UN system formed with the participation of independent states after World War II,” Plasencia added.

Stressing that the UN system demonstrates multilateralism, he said its commitment to improving bilateral relations is currently being fulfilled.

He emphasized that the sincere dialogue between the presidents of the two countries plays an important role in developing these relations.

“This is also based on a historical process. Turkey and Venezuela have had relations for more than 70 years. But the collaboration that started with (former President) Hugo Chavez and now the government of Nicolas Maduro goes deeper into investment and trade,” he noted.

Paying his first foreign visit to Turkey to make bilateral contacts, Plasencia said that apart from his Turkish counterpart, he met with the commerce as well as the agriculture and forestry ministers. Since he became the foreign minister, he gave his first interview to Anadolu Agency among other national and international news agencies.

- ‘Sanctions adversely affect people of Venezuela’

Regarding his country's economy, he said it is real that the people of Venezuela are definitely affected by the unilateral and coercive sanctions imposed in violation of international law and the decisions of some US institutions.

He said the purpose of these sanctions was to “uproot the Bolivarian revolution,” and the sanctions violated the principles of the international community. He added that the unilateral sanctions imposed on Venezuela should end.

Stressing that they have difficulties in reaching medicines and even COVID-19 vaccines due to the sanctions, he said: “Despite the efforts to destabilize our country, the sanctions, and obstacles of this interventionist empire, the Maduro government has managed to reach vaccines that will guarantee the health of the people, but the obstacles have caused many pains in our people.”

He highlighted the importance of cooperation in the health field among countries, including Turkey, China, and Russia, as well as some regional countries.

Underlining that the sanctions affect the country not only in the field of health but also in the field of trade, he said: “We have difficulties in exporting our products to foreign markets because the pressure of the US on our exports is doing great harm. President Maduro has repeatedly called for these challenges to be resolved, but those with some local interests are influencing attempts to build a good relationship between Caracas and Washington.”

On some countries' recognition of the opposition as a representative body, he said this situation adversely affected the people of Venezuela. He said some Venezuelan assets of billions of dollars abroad were frozen.

He also said there are some problems such as the seizure of Venezuelan gold, the cessation of the activities of companies operated by Venezuelans, and the search for foreign intervention in the country's economy by opposition leaders.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar.