Venezuela praises Turkey’s role to help resolve crisis

MOSCOW

Venezuela on Monday appreciated Turkey’s role to help resolve current political crisis in the country.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in the Russian capital Moscow, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorje Arreaza said President Nicolas Maduro and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan established good relations, based on mutual respect.

"They respect each other, they created comprehensive bilateral relationship. We cooperate in trade, finance and politics. Currently, Venezuela and Turkey are very close nations and they have friendly ties between them," Arreaza said.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since January when Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Tensions escalated when Juan Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president days later, a move supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.

Russia, Turkey, China, Iran, Bolivia and Mexico have thrown their weight behind Maduro.

On April 30, Guaido published a video alongside a small contingent of uniformed military personnel and armored vehicles in which he called for an uprising to end the "usurpation" of Maduro.

Turkey has called for talks to resolve the crisis, saying it is opposed to any military intervention and coups.

Recalling the defeated coup of 2016 in Turkey, the Venezuelan foreign minister said Maduro was the first head of the state in Latin America who condemned the coup bid.

"Turkey is an emerging economic nation, it plays an important role in the Middle East. We work with Turkey to overcome blockade and sanctions. We really appreciate the efforts by the Turkish government and we will continue to strengthen our relations," Arreaza said.

Call for dialogue

The Venezuelan foreign minister called on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to leave “aggressive rhetoric” and turn to diplomacy, saying his country “is ready to not only respond to a possible military intervention, but also to win the war”.

"We stand for peace and want to talk to everyone for peace, but if the U.S. prefers the military way, we have armed forces, there is a people's militia. We are ready not only to resist and fight, but to defeat and destroy any army, no matter how powerful it may be," Arreaza said.

The foreign minister confirmed the presence of Russian military advisers as well as Iranian experts in his country.

"We have created a defense, I stress, defense and not offence complex with the help of Russia. And we have to thank the U.S. for that, because in the year 2000 most of our weapons were U.S.-made. But then Washington started to blackmail us to suspend the deliveries of component parts necessary for maintaining them. And therefore, our [the then] leader Hugo Chavez ordered to find a worthy replacement. That's how we ended up with Russian arms," Arreaza said.

He said the Russian advisers arrived in Caracas for maintenance of the military equipment.

Arreaza said Iranian advisers will share their experience on how to develop the economy after the sanctions.