Liu Yi, all-media reporter of Chengdu Television Station Shen bird zhixun, comprehensively reported
At the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Venezuelan President Maduro arrived in Ankara on June 7 to begin an official goodwill visit to Turkey. During the visit, Venezuela and Turkey signed three cooperation agreements in the fields of tourism, agriculture and finance. At the same time, Maduro said in an interview on the 8th that the United States is always troubled by its own "aggression" against other countries - the United States' foreign sanctions "fly back like a boomerang", hurting the United States and Europe themselves, and even affecting the economies of all countries in the world.
Venezuelan President Maduro visits Turkey
"I am delighted to embark on this international journey on the soil of our sister country, Turkey, and I am confident that we will consolidate the bonds of solidarity and cooperation between the two peoples." Maduro wrote on his personal social media account on June 9.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Venezuelan President Maduro attend a joint press conference in Ankara on June 8. Xinhua News Agency
At the press conference, Maduro thanked Turkey for its consistent support for Venezuela, highlighted the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of oil, gas and mining, and welcomed Turkish companies to invest in Venezuela. Currently, Venezuela is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its modern history.
Erdogan said in a presidential statement that he would review all aspects of Turkey's relationship with Venezuela and discuss how to continue to strengthen relations between the two sides. He pointed out that in recent years, turkey's relations with Venezuela have deepened, and the trade volume between the two sides has risen to nearly 850 million US dollars (about 5.68 billion yuan). In addition, Erdogan also announced his intention to visit Venezuela in July this year.
Venezuela's president responds to U.S. sanctions
According to Turkey's Anadolu News Agency reported on the 8th, Venezuelan President Maduro, who was visiting Turkey on the same day, said in an interview that the United States is always troubled by its own "aggression" against other countries - the United States' foreign sanctions "fly back like a boomerang", hurting the United States and Europe themselves, and even affecting the economies of countries around the world.
Anadolu News Agency: The Venezuelan president said U.S. sanctions "flew back like a boomerang, affecting the economies of the United States and Europe."
Maduro was interviewed by the Anadolu News Agency on the 8th local time, and when asked whether the United States is likely to lift sanctions on Venezuela, Maduro said, "This is very difficult."
"Because the U.S. Empire is always troubled by its own aggression. Look at what's happening in Russia right now. More than 1,000 economic sanctions imposed on Russia's economy, agriculture, oil and gas have flown back like boomerangs, and today they are returned to the economies of Europe and the United States, affecting the economic and economic rights of countries around the world as inflation has risen. Maduro said.
Maduro referred to Venezuela's "important engagement" with the U.S. delegation on March 5 and the subsequent partial cooperation, "a small step in the right direction for us to remain patient, patient, patient, and continue to work hard to make progress through our own efforts" and "hopefully, one day, the United States can abandon its policy of aggression, coercion, and sanctions." ”
Maduro also spoke about the ongoing Summit of the Americas. He said it was a "huge mistake" for Venezuela to be excluded from the Americas summit, which did not discuss any important issues. "The U.S. Empire considers Latin America and the Caribbean to be America's backyard and intends to dictate in these regions. Such times have passed. ”
Asked if he planned to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, who was also visiting Ankara, Maduro said he did not know Lavrov was also in Ankara and that "I would be very happy if I could see him." He was a very good friend. ”
Venezuela has been subject to U.S. sanctions and has been unable to sell its petroleum products to the international market normally. The reason for the US sanctions against Venezuela is that the Venezuelan regime is "dictatorial" and "human rights-violating", while Venezuelan officials say that the United States wants to force the country to submit to the United States, and that us sanctions are human rights violations.
Venezuela was not invited to the Summit of the Americas
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Maduro's trip coincided with a U.S.-hosted summit of the Americas, and the White House excluded Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the invitation list for the meeting on the grounds of "lack of democracy." Turkey was also shut out by a U.S.-organized democracy summit last December.
Maduro previously said the U.S. government's move was an act of "discrimination" and that "unfortunately, it was the U.S. government itself that sabotaged the so-called summit, which has made the summit a failure." He then offered to host a true Summit of the Americas" "as soon as possible", with the participation of all the countries of the region, when Biden would also be invited to "let him know the dignity and history of our people."
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Venezuelan President Maduro hold a joint press conference in Ankara on June 8. Xinhua News Agency
Turkey is one of Venezuela's key allies. According to the BBC, there is a panel in turkey's parliament that specializes in "friendly relations" between Turkey and Venezuela. Surequeri, the group's director, said both Turkey and Venezuela had "experienced and resisted external interference." Since 2016, relations between the two countries have entered a honeymoon period, the same year, Turkish President Erdogan underwent an attempted coup, and Maduro was one of the first foreign leaders to speak out in support of Erdogan.
Turkey is located on the peninsula of West Asia Minor, and the domestic oil resources are short. Although Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, due to its own capital constraints and lack of technology, the current oil production is less than one-tenth of that of the United States. There is a lot of room for cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy. Against the backdrop of the 2018 refusal of the U.S.-led Western countries to recognize Maduro for re-election and sanction Venezuela, Turkey, a NATO member, is one of the few countries that support Maduro.
After his trip to Ankara, on 9 June, Maduro left for Algeria for an official visit. According to reports, the energy issue will be an important topic for senior officials of Venezuela and Argentina to discuss. (Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency, Global Network, Surging News, Observer Network)