Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at Miraflores Palace, Caracas, February 24, 2024. Photo: Presidential Press.
The minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, visited Venezuela last week and met with President Nicolás Maduro and other officials of the Venezuelan government to discuss bilateral cooperation. This visit was the prelude to the Fourth Meeting of the Joint Commission scheduled for this year in which new bilateral projects will be launched.
Venezuelan Foreign Minjster Yván Gil reported that during the meeting with his Turkish counterpart, they reviewed the bilateral cooperation agenda. He highlighted that the bilateral trade volume in 2023 was over $800 million, and this year it is estimated to rise to $3 billion.
Minister Gil described the meeting as productive and added that both countries have proposed new initiatives and opportunities for cooperation. “Both countries have committed to strengthening friendship and bilateral ties in the upcoming Fourth Meeting of the Joint Commission, where we will cover issues of economy, health, trade, mining, tourism, and more,” Gil said.
Likewise, the two strategic partners reaffirmed their common position on various multilateral issues. The Turkish foreign minister stated that his country opposes the illegal sanctions against Venezuela and emphasized that only the Venezuelan people can decide the future of their country.
Minister Fidan also reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Venezuela is planned for this year. “This year our president is going to come to Venezuela. That is what we plan,” he said, and added that Venezuela has a very important role in Erdoğan’s relationship with Latin America.
Excelente reunión con el Canciller de Türkiye Hakan Fidan. Con la hermana nación de Türkiye estamos consolidando una amistad fuerte con una agenda de trabajo ardua, acuerdos concretos y logros tangibles que en la acción y la práctica son por el bienestar compartido para nuestros… pic.twitter.com/2kmR4ri1sP
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) February 24, 2024
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan also met with President Maduro at Miraflores Palace, Caracas, on February 24. The meeting took place under the premise of cooperation, solidarity, and mutual growth. The meeting was attended by the Turkish delegation composed of the ambassador of Türkiye to Venezuela, Naci Aydan Karamanoğlu; the foreign minister’s special advisor, Ambassador Sadik Arslan; the general director of bilateral political affairs, Ambassador Yaprak Balkan; and the general director of foreign policy, analysis, and coordination, Esra Toplu. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil and Deputy Minister for Europe Coromoto Godoy participated on behalf of Venezuela.
At the meeting both sides reviewed the Bilateral Investment Treaty which includes key areas such as the energy, petrochemical, mining, and tourism, to further increase trade and profits. This treaty was signed during Minister Yván Gil’s visit to Istanbul last year, where he met with his Turkish counterpart.
The agreement aims to “establish, maintain and consolidate a legal framework that facilitates and promotes direct investments, to promote the harmonious, productive and sustainable development of both countries.”
The meeting between President Maduro and the Turkish foreign minister demonstrates the will to expand bilateral cooperation, which already consists of more than 40 agreements in different sectors. “We are consolidating a strong friendship with a strong work agenda, concrete agreements, and tangible achievements, which in action and practice are for the shared well-being of our people… We will continue this path together,” said the Venezuelan president at the end of the meeting.
In January, the Venezuelan head of state also met with the minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye, Alparslan Bayraktar.
Caracas was the first stop on Minister Fidan’s tour of Latin American and Caribbean countries. Thereafter he traveled to Mexico to continue his official tour of the region.
(Misión Verdad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
Misión Verdad
Misión Verdad is a Venezuelan investigative journalism website with a socialist perspective in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution
