Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (left) and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (right) arriving with military honors at the presidential palace in Ankara this Wednesday, June 8. Photo: Twitter/@metesohtaoglu.
Caracas, June 8, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro advanced an intense agenda during the first day of his official visit to Turkey, recently modified to “TĂĽrkiye”, following President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan invitation and as the result of more that 70 years of diplomatic relations that have reached a strategic level since 2009, under Hugo Chavez’s presidency.
TĂĽrkiye is the first leg of the Venezuelan president’s Eurasian tour, and many analysts expect that it will also continue to Russia.
#EnVivo đź“ą | Rendimos honores al Padre de la Patria Turca, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. https://t.co/Z1NfxK8oaD
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) June 8, 2022
President Maduro paid a visit to the Mausoleum of Turkish founding father Mustafa Kemal AtatĂĽrk, accompanied by his delegation and other members of the Venezuelan and Turkish governments. At the end of the tour and ceremony, outside the mausoleum, the Venezuelan president had the opportunity to interact directly with Turkish authorities and citizens, who spontaneously showed solidarity and affection towards President Maduro, and took selfies with him.
QuĂ© honor asistir al Mausoleo del Padre de la independencia turca Mustafa Kemal AtatĂĽrk, y conectarnos con su legado heroico. Con gran respeto, le rendimos homenaje en estos espacios solemnes en los que ratificamos nuestra admiraciĂłn por la historia del pueblo de TurquĂa. pic.twitter.com/xAogPqCjRh
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) June 8, 2022
Next, President Maduro was received with honors at the Presidential Palace of the government of TĂĽrkiye in Ankara, by his counterpart, Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan, with whom he plans to strengthen cooperation and address issues related to geopolitics.
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#Noticia đź“° | Presidente Maduro recibe honores a su llegada al Complejo Presidencial de TurquĂa https://t.co/eP6I6dtIa9 pic.twitter.com/AkVwz023M3
— Prensa Presidencial (@PresidencialVen) June 8, 2022
#Entérate 📰 | Presidente @NicolasMaduro se reúne con su homólogo turco en Ankara  https://t.co/SAq3MuFFjq pic.twitter.com/BPxtSxjDax
— Prensa Presidencial (@PresidencialVen) June 8, 2022
The bilateral dialogue will be conducive to reviewing bilateral strategic relations, and steps to improve cooperation will be evaluated, detailed a statement from the Turkish Presidency.
Three cooperation agreements
The reception and bilateral meeting was followed by the signing of three agreements described as important and strategic. According to President Maduro, the agreements open the doors to a new stage of binational relations.
The Venezuelan head of state said that the “visit has been a complete success, both for its content and for the climate of friendship, of connection. Very soon we will be receiving him with the same affection and solidarity in Caracas.” President Maduro’s invitation to Turkish President ErdoÄźan was immediately accepted, and ErdoÄźan said that he plans to visit in July.
#EnVivo đź“ą | Firma de Acuerdos entre la RepĂşblica de TĂĽrkiye y la RepĂşblica Bolivariana de Venezuela. https://t.co/knLlr1XBsH
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) June 8, 2022
The three bilateral agreements signed involved the Central Bank of Venezuela, represented by its President Calixto Ortega, the Ministry for Productive Agriculture and Lands, represented by Wilmar Castro Soteldo and the Ministry for Tourism, represented by Minister Ali PadrĂłn. Each of them signed the respective agreements along with their Turkish counterparts.
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Foreign investment
President Nicolás Maduro stressed that Venezuela is ready to work jointly on various mining, banking, oil, gas, gold, coal and other projects. He added that for this, all legal, political, and economic guarantees have been taken care of in order to expand bilateral relations.
The Venezuelan president said that he “has told the president (Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan) that “it is time for investors from TĂĽrkiye to come to Venezuela.” At the same time, Maduro noted that Istanbul and Caracas are connected every day by commercial flights whose frequency will increase.
Venezuela’s head of state added that TĂĽrkiye is one of the leading economies in the world, and possesses a fascinating history in the last 200 years, which makes it an important nation in the new multipolar and multicentric world that is emerging.
Brotherhood and solidarity
President ErdoÄźan [noted] the importance of Venezuela as a very important partner in Latin America and the Caribbean. “We will never forget your solidarity, because it was one of the countries that supported our government during the coup attempt, and we have also supported them in different areas,” ErdoÄźan said, in reference to the 2016 coup d’Ă©tat attempt launched by a movement loyal to Turkish pro-US politician Fethullah GĂĽlen.
President Maduro thanked TĂĽrkiye on behalf of the Venezuelan people, “because in the most difficult times, due to the coronavirus, it was always there, by our side, to support us in all the necessary healthcare processes, and to overcome the pandemic.” During this time, the US and the EU, for example, increased the intensity of their economic blockade against Venezuela.
Culture and education
The Turkish head of state also announced the creation of an Institute of Culture, that promotes activities originating from his country, in Caracas. During the high-level meeting with the Venezuelan president, at the Ankara Presidential Complex in the Eurasian nation, ErdoÄźan explained that both nations have developed up to 20 projects in the fields of culture, education, and health.
#EnVivo 📹 | Presidente @NicolasMaduro sostiene encuentro con artistas de la serie turca “Kurulus Osman”https://t.co/49Wb5FsEo2
— Prensa Presidencial (@PresidencialVen) June 8, 2022
The Turkish president reported that a third school of the Maarif Foundation was opened in Venezuela, during Turkish Foreign Minister MevlĂĽt ÇavuĹźoÄźlu’s last visit to Venezuela. In addition, TĂĽrkiye granted 76 scholarships to young Venezuelans and confirmed that these opportunities will increase in the coming years.
In the afternoon, the Venezuelan head of state had the opportunity to meet with actors of the Turkish television program Kurulus Osman, very popular in Venezuela, as well as with representatives of the production company Bozda Film. On his Twitter account, President Maduro wrote that Venezuela is seeking to strengthen cultural ties between the two nations.
“Grateful to know the culture of the wonderful Turkish people, with this beautiful meeting that I had, with the actors of the series: KuruluČ™ Osman,” wrote Maduro. “We are seeking to strengthen the cultural integration of our peoples who are brothers.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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