Turkish Foreign Minister Visits Venezuela, Promises Support of Maduro

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu arrived in Venezuela on Tuesday with a planeload of coronavirus testing kits, as Ankara attempts to strengthen its ties with the socialist South American country crumbling under the weight of the pandemic and prior economic woes. Çavuşoğlu met with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza as well as with President Nicolás Maduro. “Neither sanctions, nor a blockade, nor any type of situation will prevent us from deepening our economic and commercial relationships,” Arreaza promised following his meeting with the Turkish diplomat. Since succeeding President Hugo Chávez in 2013, Maduro’s government has overseen a historic economic collapse, with currency devaluations, international sanctions and massive food shortages wreaking havoc on the oil rich country, causing widespread malnutrition and forcing millions to flee. Many countries in America and Europe have refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela following reports of fraudulent elections and human rights violations, while countries such as Iran, Russia, Cuba and Turkey have remained by the embattled leader’s side.