Turkey and Venezuela on Wednesday have signaled their intention to forge a closer partnership amid a significant visit to Ankara by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, during which several agreements were signed.
Both sides stressed the importance of improved bilateral relations, with Maduro calling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan his "brother" in a tweet, while the Turkish president condemned the "unilateral" sanctions on Venezuela in a tweet written in Spanish.
Venezuela has been in a severe political and economic crisis for years, experiencing dire food, medicine and fuel shortages despite the country's enormous oil wealth, forcing millions of Venezuelans to leave the country.
Addressing a joint press conference after talks, Erdoğan asserted that Turkey has "always supported Venezuela and will continue to do so in the future."
He said Turkey opposes unilateral sanctions against Venezuela, hailing the country as one of Ankara's "most important partners" in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
"We have similar views on many global issues," Erdoğan said.
Both sides, he added, have the will to take bilateral relations to "the next level."
There are many areas in which Turkey and Venezuela can increase collaboration, including trade, energy, mining, construction, health and tourism, he emphasized.
"Our trade volume with Venezuela was about $150 million in 2019. We doubled it by 2020 and took it up to $850 million in 2021," he said, adding that Turkey's aim is to boost the figure to $3 billion as soon as possible.
The two leaders also oversaw the signing of three tourism, agriculture and economic agreements before the press conference.
As part of continuing efforts to improve bilateral ties, Erdoğan said a Turkish government delegation will be heading to Venezuela next month.
Maduro lauded Turkey’s growing global influence, saying the country plays a "very important" geopolitical role as one of the powers in an increasingly multipolar world.
He also appreciated Ankara's help during Venezuela's fight against COVID-19.
"In the most difficult moments, in the times of greatest uncertainty during the pandemic, Turkey was always by our side ... supporting us," he said.
Emphasizing that Venezuela and Turkey are "opening up" new avenues of cooperation, he invited Turkish investors to capitalize on the various opportunities emerging on the Latin American country's path to economic recovery.
"I guarantee you that this is the right moment," he said, adding that his government has made all the necessary "legal, economic and political" arrangements.
'Great friendship'
Maduro also told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an exclusive interview that he has already been in "this beautiful Turkish homeland" on several occasions, hailing "the great friendship" Turkey and Venezuela enjoy.
He said Ankara and Caracas already have agreements in various areas, such as commerce, finance, science, technology, agriculture, mining and energy.
In 2021, Turkey and Venezuela reached a commercial exchange of $858 million, he said, adding the goal is to reach $1.5 billion between 2022 and 2023.
"And this visit precisely has the objective of adjusting new issues that allow us to grow in everything: comprehensive cooperation in the economic, scientific, technological and energy areas," the president said.
"We have never had such a close relationship with Turkey or with this region of the world as we have today. That is why I tell you the world is much more than the United States and the West," he said, adding that Turkey is "one of the most important regions."
On the third meeting of the High-Level Joint Commission of Turkey and Venezuela, which has been held recently, Maduro said: "There we are seeing a growth plan for the next 10 or 15 years of all commercial, agricultural, energy, and financial relations.
"I can tell you that Venezuela is the best guarantee that Turkish businessmen can have to make their investments in Latin America and the Caribbean," he said. "Venezuela can be the port of arrival for all the products of great industry and great production of Turkey to Latin America and the Caribbean. We give all the legal guarantees to the Turkish investors so that they will present their work."
Turkey is a friend of Venezuela, which sought to reinforce ties with countries such as China, Iran and Russia after the United States sanctions against the Maduro government. Turkey has since 2018 increased its exports to Venezuela, including food and personal hygiene products. The South American country has in turn sold gold to Turkey, though the amount is not public. In April the two countries signed seven agreements during a visit to Venezuela by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.